The Madras High Court on Monday framed the issues to be decided in a civil suit filed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in 2019 demanding damages of ₹1.1 crore from Ananda Vikatan publications for having reported that lottery baron Martin Santiago donated ₹500 crore to the DMK towards election funds.
Justice C.V. Karthikeyan agreed with advocate Richardson Wilson, representing Mr. Stalin, that the recent data regarding electoral bonds could not be taken into account at the time of framing of issues and circumstances which prevailed at the time of the filing of the suit in 2019 alone would be relevant.
Mr. Wilson said, the issues could be framed only on the basis of averments made in the plaint filed by his client and the written statement filed by the defendants. He said, the written statement filed in 2023 did not contain any reference to electoral bonds and therefore it could not be taken into consideration.
