BJP leader and former Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai appeared before the Saidapet court in Chennai on 17 July 2025 in connection with a defamation suit filed against him by senior DMK leader and Member of Parliament T.R. Baalu. However, Baalu himself was absent from the hearing, prompting sharp criticism from Annamalai.
The case stems from a press conference held in 2023, where Annamalai released a list of assets allegedly belonging to DMK leaders, including Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, and made a series of corruption allegations under the banner of “#DMKFiles.” The accusations drew immediate backlash from the ruling DMK, with RS Bharathi issuing a legal notice to Annamalai seeking ₹500 crore in damages for defamation.
Subsequently, DMK Parliamentary Party leader and Treasurer T.R. Baalu filed a separate defamation suit seeking ₹100 crore in compensation, accusing Annamalai of making “baseless allegations” to damage his reputation.
With the matter coming up for hearing at the Saidapet court today, Annamalai was present in person, but T.R. Baalu was not.
Taking to social media after the court appearance, Annamalai criticized Baalu for skipping the hearing. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “As soon as it was released, claiming that non-existent honor was lost, Mr. T.R. Baalu of the DMK filed a defamation case, and I appeared in the Saidapet court today. However, as usual, Mr. T.R. Baalu did not appear today. Despite all this, it was he who had specifically requested this date. When running a liquor factory and striking at the livelihoods of farmers, his honor did not vanish; when the then Prime Minister stated that no matter who else was given a position, he would not be made a Union Minister again, his honor did not vanish; but did it vanish as soon as #DMKFiles was released? It seems that because his conscience is questioning him, Mr. T.R. Baalu is avoiding appearing in the defamation case he himself filed.”
The hearing was adjourned and is expected to be taken up on the next scheduled date. There has been no official response from TR Baalu or the DMK regarding his absence.
#DMKFiles வெளியானதும், இல்லாத மானம் போனதாகக் கூறி, திமுகவின் திரு. டி.ஆர் பாலு அவர்கள் தொடர்ந்த மானநஷ்ட வழக்கில், சைதாப்பேட்டை நீதிமன்றத்தில் இன்று ஆஜரானேன். ஆனால், வழக்கம்போல திரு. டி.ஆர். பாலு, இன்று ஆஜராகவில்லை. இத்தனைக்கும், இன்றைய தினத்தைக் குறிப்பிட்டுக் கேட்டது அவர்தான்.…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) July 17, 2025
(With inputs from One India)
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