CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Aadhav Arjuna has sent a legal notice to former Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin, demanding an unconditional apology and compensation of Rs 1 crore for allegedly portraying drug trafficking mastermind John Britto as his close relative.
The 10-page notice, addressed to Stalin and the DMK IT wing, insists that the apology be published in Tamil and English on the social media accounts of the IT wing and Stalin, as well as in widely circulated Tamil and English newspapers and television channels. Arjuna has given Stalin a 48-hour deadline to comply, failing which he will pursue civil, criminal, and other legal proceedings, the notice states.
The notice was issued through Arjuna's counsels, A P Suryaprakasam and R Mohan Parthasarathy. The dispute stems from a social media post by Stalin on June 8, which claimed that according to an Enforcement Directorate (ED) press release, John Britto, the alleged mastermind behind a drug trafficking operation involving narcotics worth Rs 258 crore seized in Chennai and Ramanathapuram, is a close relative of Aadhav Arjuna.
Arjuna has labeled the statement as wholly false, fabricated, malicious, and devoid of any factual basis. He clarified that John Britto, implicated by the ED in drug trafficking, is not his relative. The allegation was published without any verification or supporting material, showing complete disregard for the truth, Arjuna added.
