The Madras High Court on Monday (21 September 2026) granted permission to Tamil Nadu Minister for Natural Resources TK Prabhu to pursue a ₹1 crore civil defamation suit against YouTuber Maridhas over allegedly defamatory statements made against him on YouTube, X and other social media platforms, as reported in The Hindu.
Justice K. Govindarajan Thilakavadi allowed an application filed by Prabhu seeking the court’s leave to institute the suit and directed the High Court Registry to number the defamation case and list it for hearing.
The suit has been filed against Maridhas, along with Google LLC, YouTube India and California-based X Corporation.
Senior counsel PH Arvindh Pandian, assisted by advocate Vikram Veerasamy, appeared for the minister. He submitted that a part of the cause of action had arisen within the jurisdiction of the Madras High Court and, therefore, the minister was entitled to institute the civil suit before the court.
The counsel also relied on three earlier orders in which the High Court had granted leave to similarly placed individuals to institute defamation proceedings over allegedly false, malicious and defamatory statements made on social media.
What Does TK Prabhu’s Plaint Say?
According to the plaint, Prabhu was elected from the Karaikudi Assembly constituency on a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) ticket and was subsequently inducted into the state Cabinet as Minister in charge of mines and minerals.
The minister said he had been entrusted with the responsibility of curbing illegal mining and bringing reforms to the sector.
Prabhu alleged that Maridhas had published what he described as false, baseless and defamatory allegations of corruption and other illegalities against him through his YouTube channel and subsequently shared the content through his X account.
The minister contended that the allegations were contrary to the truth and had caused damage to his reputation.
The plaint reportedly lists links to the videos and social media posts that Prabhu has objected to. He has sought ₹1 crore in damages from the defendants, along with interest at 12% per annum from the date of filing of the suit until realisation.
Minister Claims Damage To Reputation
In his plaint, Prabhu described himself as a dentist by qualification who was born and brought up in Karaikudi. He claimed that he was known among people in his constituency for his “integrity, ethical conduct, probity, uprightness, straightforwardness and responsible public service.”
The minister has sought damages citing alleged loss of reputation, emotional distress, mental agony, professional harm and violation of his dignity and privacy.
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