making, and the limits of criminal process when deployed at the pre-

cognizance stage in a politically charged environment.

Gamut of the complainant’s case before the learned Trial Court:

3. The private complaint was presented by Thiru.Varun Kumar, IPS, narrating his academic and service credentials and his tenure as Superintendent of Police in multiple districts. He traced political events following action against one “Sattai” Durai Murugan (of Naam Tamilar Katchi) in 2020 and, later, his arrest on 11.07.2024 in Trichy District Cyber Crime P.S. Crime No. 34 of 2024. The complaint alleges that, on 11.07.2024, immediately after the said arrest, Thiru.Seeman addressed the media and made an allegedly defamatory statement in Tamil, portraying the complainant as “casteist by birth” and imputing discriminatory bias. The statement was said to be widely broadcast on television channels, social media, and YouTube, allegedly causing reputational harm among family, friends, colleagues, and the general public. The exact Tamil version of the alleged statement is extracted as follows:

tUz; v';f Ch;fhuU/ cugg; [spfhuh;/ bjhlh;r;rpah “

mtU tpisahl;L/ buhk;g mjpfkhd tpisahlL; / njth;. ehlhh;. nfhdhh;. n