Ban on Veerappan Serial!

By: Settu Shankar
Monday, October 15, 2007

A city sessions court on Friday granted an interim stay against the broadcast of a tele-serial on the slain sandalwood smuggler Veerappan on Makkal TV till October 26.

Additional sessions judge R. Sadaiyandi granted the stay following a civil miscellaneous appeal preferred by V. Muthulakshmi, wife of Veerappan, challenging the vacation of the stay by the VIII assistant city civil court on September 17. Muthulakshmi contended that she had a right to safeguard her privacy and also that of her family, marriage and lives of her daughters. "None can publish anything concerning the above matters without my consent whether truthful or otherwise and whether laudatory or critical," she submitted.

Elephant poacher-turned sandalwood smuggler Veerappan was shot dead by the Tamil Nadu police in a gun battle in 2004. The 125-episode serial, titled "Santhanakadu" (sandalwood forest), was scheduled to go on air from October 15.

Earlier, she had made an emotional appeal to the channel not to telecast the serial, saying it would cause psychological trauma to her two teenage daughters.