Sex for marks case: Journalist R Gopal arrested over a defamatory article on Governor; DMK chief Stalin calls it 'not correct'

Tamil Nadu's popular weekly magazine 'Nakkheeran' editor, journalist Nakkheeran Gopal was held by the police at Chennai Airport on Tuesday morning over a defamatory article on Nirmala Devi case. Gopal was arrested on charges of defamation for allegations against Governor Banwarilal Purohit in an article.

The popular weekly magazine's editor was arrested when he was about to board a flight to Pune. The article published in the magazine that caused his arrest was on the Tamil Nadu college professor arrested in the "sex-for-marks" scam.

DMK chief MK Stalin calls the arrest of the journalist not correct, 'The arrest of Nakkeeran Gopal (Chief Editor of Tamil magazine Nakkeeran) is not correct. I ask why has BJP leader H Raja who had given provocative speeches in the past not been arrested yet? Why is SVE Sekhar still free?”

Nirmala Devi accused in the allegedly in sex-for-marks case pushed girl students into offering sexual favours to university officials in return for marks. After a telephone recording of her with a conversation with a few girl students went viral, the accused Nirmala Devi was nabbed by the police.

Mr Gopal quoted a police officer in the article as claiming that Nirmala Devi had confessed to meeting the Governor, also a chancellor of the university, and R Rajagopal, the Chief Secretary to the Governor, with women students.

Chennai police officers said the article was offensive and defamatory. An official of the Governor's Raj Bhavan said: "Since July the magazine has been publishing baseless reports with malafide intention of tarnishing the Governor."

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