Chennai: Undeterred by the string of nation-wide protests against the Tamil Nadu Assembly order sentencing six journalists for breach of privileges of the House, Tamil Nadu Government today (Nov 10) filed yet another defamation case against four staffers of 'The Hindu' for an article published in the daily on April 30.

Editor-in-chief of 'The Hindu' N Ram said the article was one of the three in which the State Assembly dropped breach of privilege proceedings on Friday (Nov 7), after Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said that she did not want to press action on the issue as it only concerned her.

The defamation case, filed before the first additional sessions judge, cited as respondents the editor N Ravi, executive editor Malini Parthasarathy, publisher S Rangarajan and V Jayanth chief of bureau, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The judge took the case on file and posted it for hearing to December 22.

The case, filed on behalf of Jayalalithaa, by the city public prosecutor, said the impugned article was aimed at bringing disrepute to the Chief Minister.

This is the 18th defamation case against the daily.

The new case has been filed hours after the Supreme Court stayed the arrest warrants of six journalists issued by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker K Kalimuthu for breach of privilege.

PTI