Bringing a curtains-down end to a legal battle spanning nearly three decades, the Madras High Court has upheld a lower court order directing Sun TV to pay over ₹10 lakh in damages to actor R. Sukanya in a defamation case linked to a 1996 broadcast involving forest bandit Veerappan.
Justice K. Kumaresh Babu dismissed Sun TV’s appeal against a 2015 city civil court verdict, holding that the broadcaster failed in its journalistic duty to verify the explosive allegations aired during the controversial interview.
As Gold 101.3 FM, UAE’s No.1 Radio Station understands, the court observed that Sun TV did not seek clarification from Sukanya nor independently corroborate Veerappan’s claims before broadcasting them.
The original interview, aired on April 17, 1996, featured unverified and defamatory remarks by Veerappan alleging a relationship involving Sukanya and the son of former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, along with other politically sensitive claims.
The High Court noted that Sun TV had full editorial control over the content, including the right to edit or modify the interview, and therefore bore responsibility for verifying what was broadcast.
Sukanya had filed the case in 1996, stating that the broadcast severely damaged her reputation and dignity. She initially sought ₹1 crore in damages but later restricted her claim to ₹10,00,500.
The trial court ruled in her favour in 2015, awarding damages and restraining Sun TV and interviewer Rajagopal (Nakkheeran Gopal) from re-broadcasting the content.
Sun TV argued that it merely aired an external interview and could not be held liable, adding that it had stopped re-telecasts and issued an apology in a magazine. However, the High Court rejected these arguments, stating that any apology should have been broadcast on the same platform to reach the original audience.
The court also dismissed Sun TV’s claim that Sukanya had not proven reputational loss, and upheld the original judgment, bringing the long-standing case to a close.
