Nalla faces RM10 million defamation suit

A PKR member has filed a RM10 million defamation suit against Malaysian Indian United Party (MIUP) leader KS Nallakaruppan in the Penang High Court.

Businessman RL Balasupramaniyam, 46, claimed general damages, damages for character defamation and costs against Nallakaruppan, a former PKR member and one-time associate of its leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Balasupramaniyam (in red shirt) , accompanied by his lawyer R S Nethaji Rayer, filed his writ of summons at 9.30am today at the High Court registry office.

This was in relation to a “false report” that Nallakaruppan, 62, had made against him on Aug 21 at the Seberang Jaya police station in Penang.

Balasupramaniyam told newsmen he had no choice but to proceed with legal action as there was no response to a notice of demand dated Sept 9, in which he had sought a public apology.

Nallakaruppan, in his police report, had claimed that Balasupramiyam and several unidentified men had stormed into a MIUP operations room between 9pm and 10pm on Aug 19, during the Permatang Pauh by-election campaign, and threatened to harm party workers.

He further alleged that Balasupramaniyam, whom he identified as ‘Hi Kid Bala’ in the report, and his men had warned the party workers to leave MIUP and the operations room immediately, and support PKR instead.

Nallakaruppan (right) also claimed that Balasupramaniyam had said: 'I am the No 1 gangster in Penang. Ask Datuk Nalla to get out of Penang.'

In his writ, Balasupramaniyam claimed that he was out of the country when the alleged incident took place.

He explained that he was on a three-day business trip to Thailand between 1pm on Aug 18 and 8pm on Aug 20.

“This is a blatant lie by Nallakaruppan to tarnish my reputation as a businessman and community leader,” he said outside the court this morning.

Balasupramaniyam was a MIUP member from Nov 25 last year up to mid-March this year. Together with 11 other division leaders and 2,500 members, he left to join PKR.

Reasons for legal action

In his writ, Balasupramaniyam stated that a detective identified only as Guna, from the Penang police headquarters, had contacted him on the night of Aug 21 to assist in investigations into Nallakaruppan’s report.

Guna had told Balasupramaniyam to meet him at a restaurant in Bayan Baru immediately, or risk being arrested by a Bukit Aman party that had mounted a stakeout at his house in Sungai Nibong.

At the meeting with Guna and other policemen, Balasupramaniyam said he had produced his passport to prove that he was in Thailand on Aug 20.

Despite this, he was taken to the Seberang Perai Tengah district police headquarters in Bandar Baru Perda, Bukit Mertajam, where he was locked up overnight.

In the morning, he was taken to the district Magistrate’s Court where police obtained a two-day order to remand him until Aug 23. He was then freed on police bail by the magistrate.

In his suit, Balasupramaniyam alleged that Nallakaruppan’s report was mala fide (done in bad faith) to defame him, smear his family reputation and tarnish his image as a PKR member, thereby creating negative publicity for his party.

Balasupramaniyam said that, due to his arrest, he had been deprived of the opportunity to campaign for his party in the-election.

He further claimed that he had suffered public odium and emotional and mental stress, and that the social stigma has continued to affect him.

Nallakaruppan has 12 days to file his statement of defence, failing which Balasupramaniyam can apply for a judgment in default and an order of execution.

Nallakaruppan had left PKR in May last year, citing disappointment with the way Indian Malaysian members were being treated. He then formed MIUP in October last year.