23rd June, 2024
To,
- Dr. S. Ramadoss,
Founder,
Pattali Makkal Katchi
No. 10, Kamtchiamman Kovil Street,
Tindivanam 604 001 - Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss
President,
Pattali Makkal Katchi
New No.10, Thilak Street,
T- Nagar, Chennai – 600 017
LEGAL NOTICE
Sir,
Under instructions from our clients Mr. T. Udhayasuriyan, MLA (Sankarapuram Assembly Constituency) residing at No. 1, East Street, Vadakkanandal and Post, Chinna Salem Taluk, Kalakurichi District 606 207 and Mr. Vasantham K. Karthikeyan, MLA (Rishivandiyam Assembly Constituency), residing at New No. 1/59, South Street, Sathanur Village, Ogaiyur Post, Kallakurichi District 606202 (hereinafter referred to as “Our Clients”), we hereby issue the following NOTICE:- Our clients state that Mr. T. Udhayasuriyan is a five time MLA, having been elected by the people in the years 1989 (Chinnasalem), 1996 (Sankarapuram), 2006 (Chinnasalem), 2016 (Sankarapuram) and 2021 (Sankarapuram).
- Our clients state that Mr. Vasantham K. Karthikeyan is a two time MLA, having been elected in the years 2016 and 2021 from Rishivandiyam constituency in both years.
- Our clients state that both of our clients have dedicated their lives to public service and are held in high regard by the people of their constituency and indeed the whole State of Tamil Nadu for their selfless service to the public. The popularity of our clients amongst the public are reflected in their electoral record.
- Our clients state that on June 19 and 20 a most unfortunate incident occurred in Kallakurichi wherein some persons consumed spurious liquor poisoned with methanol leading to their deaths. Some of the others have been hospitalized with illness. Our clients state that the criminal act of manufacturing and selling such spurious liquor is a crime against society and our clients condemn such acts in unequivocal terms. As the representatives of the people, our clients have been working night and day to help the families of the victims and the police and district administration after this tragedy took place.
- Our clients state that the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has taken all requisite and possible action in the given circumstances including but not limited to the following:
a. Immediate transfer of the District Collector;
b. Immediate suspension of the District Superintendent of Police;
c. Transfer of other top Police officials;
d. Formed a Commission headed by retired judge of the Madras High Court Hon’ble B Gokuldoss to inquire into the issue and report within 3 months.
e. Compensation of Rs. 10 lakhs to the victims’ families and children
f. An amount of Rs. 5 lakhs to be deposited in a FD for children who have lost both parents
g. An amount of Rs. 3 lakhs to be deposited in a FD for children who have lost one parent.
h. Complete crackdown of illegal liquor across Tamil Nadu
i. Arrest of all perpetrators of the crime. - Our clients state that under the direction of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, the Government machinery has been doing everything possible to find the perpetrators, rid the district of such illegal activities and aid the grieving families of the victims. While the Government has been taking such action to bring the perpetrators to justice, instead of playing the role of a responsible opposition, both of you have been making irresponsible, immature and factually incorrect statements for personal and political gain. Our clients state at the outset that they are not against criticism by the opposition which is both necessary and welcome in a democracy. Yet, the criticism must be based on facts and constructive. Criticism which is sheer falsehood, concocted and fictitious cannot be claimed as the right of the opposition.
- Our clients state that on 21.06.2024, 1st of you has issued a press release wherein the 1st of you has made the following claims:
கள்ளக்குறிச்சி மாவட்டத்தின் ஆட்சியர், காவல்துறை உயரதிகாரிகள், ஆளுங்கட்சியின் மாவட்ட செயலாளர்களாக பணியாற்றும் இரு சட்டமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள் முதல் மாவட்டத்தின் பொறுப்பு அமைச்சர் வரை அனைவரின் ஆதரவும் கள்ளச்சாராய வணிகர்களுக்கு இருந்திருக்கிறது.
ஆளும் கட்சியின் மாவட்ட செயலாளரும், ரிஷிவந்தியம் தொகுதி சட்டப்பேரவை உறுப்பினருமான வசந்தம் கார்த்திகேயன் என்பவர், கள்ளக்குறிச்சி மாவட்ட நிர்வாகம் மீது செலுத்திய ஆதிக்கம் குறித்து வெளிவரும் செய்திகள் அதிர்ச்சி அளிக்கின்றன. மாவட்ட ஆட்சியராக எவர் வந்தாலும், அதிகாலையில் கார்த்திகேயன் விளையாடும் இடத்திற்கு சென்று, அவர் விளையாடி முடிக்கும் வரை காத்திருந்து வணக்கம் செலுத்தி விட்டு வந்து தான் வழக்கமான பணிகளைத் தொடங்க முடியும் என்பது எழுதப் படாத விதி என்று கூறப்படுகிறது. காவல்துறை உள்ளிட்ட எந்த துறை அதிகாரியாக இருந்தாலும் வசந்தம் கார்த்திகேயனுக்கு வணக்கம் செலுத்தத் தவறினால் அவர் இடமாற்றம் செய்யப்படுவது கட்டாயமாம். அவரது ஆதரவு சாராய வணிகர்கள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கத் துணிந்த காவல்துறை அதிகாரிகள் பலரும் பந்தாடப்பட்டுள்ளனர். கிட்டத்தட்ட கள்ளக்குறிச்சி மாவட்டத்தின் அறிவிக்கப்படாத முதல்வராகவே செயல்பட்டு வந்த வசந்தம் கார்த்திகேயனும், சங்கராபுரம் சட்டமன்ற உறுப்பினர் உதயசூரியனும் தான் கள்ளக்குறிச்சி மாவட்டத்தில் கள்ளச்சாராய வணிகர்களின் பாதுகாவலர்கள் என்று கூறப்படுகிறது.
கள்ளக்குறிச்சி மாவட்ட கள்ளச்சாராய சாவுகளுக்கு மூல காரணமானவர்கள் என்று பல தரப்பாலும் குற்றஞ்சாட்டப்படும் இந்த இருவரும், கள்ளச்சாராய சாவுகள் குறித்து ஆய்வு செய்ய மாவட்டத்திற்கு வரும் உதயநிதி ஸ்டாலின் உள்ளிட்ட அனைத்து அமைச்சர்களுடனும், உள்துறை செயலாளர் உள்ளிட்ட அதிகாரிகளுடனும் இணைந்து கூட்டங்களில் பங்கேற்கின்றனர். அவ்வாறு இருக்கும் போது துணை கண்காணிப்பாளர் நிலையிலுள்ள சி.பி.சி.ஐ.டி அதிகாரிகளால் அவர்களை எவ்வாறு விசாரிக்க முடியும். தமிழக காவல்துறை அதிகாரிகளால், அதிகாரம் பெற்ற இவர்களின் அருகில் கூட நெருங்க முடியாது.
- Our clients state that similarly, the 2nd of you in a press conference, video of which is found at https://www.youtube.com/live/sUMZUbbR6MY?feature=shared has made the following statements:
Time Stamp: 9:00 to 9:32
The four sellers have been arrested as per news. But what is the punishment for the policemen, officials, government officials, political leaders who have allowed that? There cannot be illicit liquor sold without the permission or support of politicians anywhere. There cannot be illicit liquor produced without the knowledge of the police. In this district this practice have been continuing for 40 years
Time Stamp: 10:00
This department Minister Muthuswamy and Minister incharge of the District Eva. Velu must immediately be removed from their post. These two ministers are only responsible for this. Similarly this constituency DMK 2 District Secretaries, 2 MLA’s must be arrested, if you ask me.
Time Stamp: 10:31
This is not an incident which occurred suddenly. Sankarapuram MLA, name is Udaya Suriyan, 5 times MLA. Only with his support, in this region, illicit liquor is being brewed everywhere. All people, police and press/media know this.
Time Stamp: 10:54
I’ve also come here several times for election campaigning to Sankarapuram constituency. There is a kalvarayan malai. There are 30,000 votes in that hill for Udhaya Suriyan, because he supports their illicit liquor brewing. If someone gets caught by the police, immediately he will call and free him. This guy frees the brewers and another guy frees the sellers.
Time Stamp: 11:25
Rishivandiyam MLA Vasantham Karthikeyan. Without his permission nothing can happen in that place. He is an unofficial minister there. All people and media know and discuss this. But I don’t know why the CM doesn’t know this.
Time Stamp: 11:45
District Collector will come in the morning and greet Vasantham Karthikeyan, who will be playing badminton in the morning, and only after that he can leave. He is Eva. Velu’s loyalist. What is happening here? Is this governance?
- Our clients state that the above statements by both of you are per se false, baseless, concocted and defamatory and made with the sole intention of tarnishing the reputation of our clients and for personal and political gain. Our clients deny all the allegations made by both of you, and though such baseless and fictitious allegations warrant no reply, wish to set the record straight and also put you on notice for defamation proceedings.
- Our clients state that they are in no way connected to those who have indulged in manufacture and sale of spurious liquor. In fact, if such activities had come to the attention of our clients earlier, our clients would have left no stone unturned in setting the law in motion to apprehend and prosecute the miscreants. Our clients are also shocked to learn from the 2nd of your statement that you seem to have full prior knowledge of the network of hooch manufacture and sale even prior to June 19. The 2nd of you has categorically admitted that you have personal knowledge about the ring of “kalla sarayam” (illicit liquor) for forty years. In fact the 2nd of you has stated that during your election campaigns, you have come to know about the illicit liquor ring. Our clients wonder why, if you had personal knowledge of an illegal trade for forty years, neither of you have come forward to file a complaint/ intimate the authorities about the names of persons who have indulged in such activities. Our clients wish to remind you that concealing such fugitives is as much an offence. Therefore, our clients call upon you as responsible citizens to come before the investigating authorities and record statements as witnesses, giving full details including names and details of such illicit hooch manufacturers that you claim are within your personal knowledge.
- Our clients further deny the allegations that District Collectors and Superintendent of Police of Kallakurichi are acting as per the dictates of our clients. The statement that District Collectors come to salute our client Mr. Vasantham Karthikeyan every morning shows not just your fertile imagination but also inexperience in government administration despite being in politics for many decades. District Collectors do not come to wish MLA’s in the morning except in films that you may have watched. If any MLA wishes to meet a District Collector, they seek their prior appointment and meet them at the Collectorate or Camp Office. Our clients also wish to deny the baseless allegations that District Collectors or SP’s have been transferred at our client’s instance. Though not required to spell out, our client wishes to place on record the tenure of District Collectors and SP’s who have served at Kallakurichi since May 2021 when the DMK Government took charge and the reason for their transfers:
DISTRICT COLLECTORS
Name Tenure Reason for transfer
Thiru Kiran Gurrala I.A.S 22.11.2019 till 15.06.2021 General administrative transfers of IAS officers throughout the State after new Government took charge
Thiru P.N.Sridhar I.A.S 16.06.2021 till 20.07.2022 Transferred after violence at Kanimayoor Sakthi Matriculation school due to death of a class 12 student
Thiru Sravan Kumar Jatavath I.A.S 20.07.2022 till 19.06.2024 Transferred after the present tragedy
The above clearly shows that no District Collector was transferred during the tenure of our client for failing to please our client as claimed by you. The only Collector who was transferred after the first general administrative shuffle was due to the violence that erupted in the Kanimayoor Sakthi Matriculation school after the unfortunate suicide of a class 12 student. Thus, your entire story is fictitious and concocted with the malicious intention to defame our client Mr. Vasantham K. Karthikeyan. Similarly, in the case of Superintendent of Police as well, the following are the SP’s who were posted and the reason for their transfer is as below:
SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE:
Name Tenure Reason for transfer
Thiru Ziaul Haque I.P.S Till 21.12.2021 Promotion as DIG
Thiru S. Selvakumar I.P.S 21.12.2021 till 19.7.2022 Transferred after violence at Kanimayoor Sakthi Matriculation school due to death of a class 12 student
Thiru P Pakalavan I.P.S 20.07.2022 till 04.01.2023 Promoted as DIG
Thiru N. Mohanraj 04.01.2024 till 16.12.2023 Took VRS
Thiru Samay Singh Meena, I.P.S. 16.12.2023 till 19.6.2024 Suspended after the present tragedy
As can be seen from the above table, two SP’s were promoted and one took VRS since the DMK Government came to power in May 2021. One SP was transferred after failure to maintain law and order after a child’s death in 2022. No SP was transferred for failing to salute our clients as claimed by you.
- Our clients state that both of your statements are irresponsible and immature and unbecoming of leaders with decades of political experience. Your focus must be on working with the Government for the welfare of the victims and must support the Police who are searching for the perpetrators. Instead, our clients state that both of you are playing petty politics for personal gain. At this juncture our clients wish to place on record why both of you are targeting our clients. In 2021, the PMK’s candidate G. Raja contested against our client Thiru T. Udhayasuriyan and was trounced by a margin of 45,963 votes. Similarly, in the recently concluded parliamentary general elections, PMK has been pushed to fourth place, even behind Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK). Our clients state that both of you view our clients as efficient politicians who have earned the support of the people. Our clients wonder whether political desperation is the reason for Mr. Anbumani Ramados’s statement in his press conference that about 30,000 inhabitants of the hills in the area are involved in the manufacture of illicit liquor. Unable to bear the truth that the people have rejected your party in these constituencies, both of you have resorted to defaming the entire population of our clients’ constituencies as if the entire constituency is manufacturing and selling illicit liquor. Our clients wish to remind you both that the people of Kallakurichi are law abiding and decent people and for the acts of a few unscrupulous people, you should not tarnish the image of the entire population. By the statement of the 2nd of you, you have tarnished the reputation of the entire tribal population of Sankarapuram as if the whole village is involved in this illegal activity.
- Our clients also wish to point out that the sitting MLA of No. 80 Kallakurichi Assembly Constituency is one Thiru. M. Senthilkumar, from the AIADMK party. If you were genuine in your criticism, you would have also questioned Thiru. M. Senthilkumar. Yet in none of your statements have you asked Thiru. M. Senthilkumar what he was doing about these alleged criminal activities going on in his constituency if such incidents were indeed prevalent from 2021. Therefore, your claim that there is widespread manufacture and sale of hooch in Kallkurichi and that our clients were aware of and supporting the perpetrators is false, baseless and unsubstantiated and made with the sole intention of defaming our clients.
- Our clients state that it is the duty of our clients as the representative of the people to participate in review meetings when Hon’ble Ministers and top bureaucrats visit their constituencies in the aftermath of a tragedy. Merely because both of you cook a cock and bull story, our clients cannot keep away from doing their duty as representatives of the people and oversee relief measures.
- Our clients also wish to inform you that they have been vigilant to ensure that even non-compliant TASMAC shops are removed from their constituencies in the interest of the public. In fact, upon public request, even though both our clients are MLAs from the ruling party, our clients took efforts to close the following TASMAC shops:
Mr. T. Udhayasuriyan
TASMAC Shop details Closed on
11455 Vadanganathal 25.01.2023
11456Kachirayapallayam 21.06.2023
11706 Chinna Salem 21.06.2023
Mr. Vasanthan Karthikeyan
TASMAC Shop details Closed on
Thagadi 28.12.2020
La. Sudalur 29.11.2023
Noorolai 10.04.2024 - Therefore our clients state that unlike both of you who are only involved in paper and armchair protests against liquor, our clients are very much working on the ground to ensure that the people are not affected by non-compliant TASMAC shops.
- Our clients state that their reputation, goodwill and image have been severely tarnished by your false, baseless, concocted and hallucinatory allegations. Therefore, our clients hereby call upon the 1st and 2nd of you to:
a. Tender an unconditional apology to our clients and the people of Kallakurichi by pubishing the same prominently in one edition of English and Tamil dailies and on your social media pages;
b. Each pay to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Relief fund a sum of Rs. 1,00,00,000/- (Rupees One Crore Only) as damages; and
c. Cease and desist from making false, unsubstantiated allegations against our clients in the nature described in this notice or otherwise;
Within 24 hours of receipt of this notice, failing which our client shall be constrained to initiate appropriate action against both of you including civil and criminal proceedings holding you both jointly and severally liable for all costs and consequences arising therefrom.
Kind Regards,
RICHARDSON WILSON