James Foong J:

Introduction

These two cases, involving the same parties in their respective capacity as plaintiff and defendant in both the suits, are tried together. Both involve, primarily, the cause of action of defamation. For ease of reference I shall refer to the civil suit S5-23-08-97 as case "Suit 08", and suit number S2- 23-04-97 as "Suit 04".

In order to comprehend the substance and essence of these two cases it is necessary to initially describe the parties. Then their relationship with each other. Followed by their relationship with other major characters mentioned in the pleadings and the evidence adduced.

The plaintiff and the defendant are both advocates and solicitors. The plaintiff is the brother-in-law of the defendant. He is married to the defendant's eldest sister by the name of Vijayalakshmi Devi (Vijayalakshmi) who is also an advocate and solicitor. The defendant has a few other brothers and sisters. Those a