In the complaint filed on behalf of Jayalalithaa, City Public Prosecutor (CPP) said the news had stated that the Chief Minister had dropped a minister at the behest of "another person."
It insinuated that the Chief Minister "is unable to take a decision on her own and is clearly indicative of malicious and deliberate intention," the complaint said.
Submitting that removal of a minister was the sole prerogative of the Chief Minister, the complaint said "no person shall question this constitutional prerogative. The decision to drop the minister was taken in the interests of better administration of the government", the CPP said.
Stating that the news was "totally false and is based on the conjectures and surmises of the accused," the complaint claimed the "fallacious" news had been published without verification and inquiry and with the sole intention to "defame the goodwill, reputation and independent image of the Chief Minister among the general public."
The complaint said the nine accused, who included Editorial Director, Managing Editor, Executive Editor and Senior Correspondent of the "India Today" Tamil weekly, had committed offences punishable under IPC sections 500 and 501 (defamation).
The CPP requested the court to take cognisance of the complaint and proceed against the accused according to law.
