Former Kerala Health Minister and senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader P.K. Sreemathy has decided to initiate criminal and civil defamation proceedings against those responsible for circulating a ‘false claim’ linking her to an alleged fraudulent pension case, saying the misinformation had caused serious damage to her reputation built over five decades of public life.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Sreemathy said she had already submitted complaints to the Chief Minister, Home Minister, Director General of Police and other concerned authorities. In addition, she has instructed her lawyer to prepare petitions for criminal and civil defamation proceedings and compensation.
“The lawyer is preparing the document. We have to compile all the evidence, including digital records, before filing the petition. It may take about a week. Legal notices will be issued first,” she said.
The controversy
The controversy arose after some online news platforms, citing purported RTI documents, claimed that Ms. Sreemathy was drawing a family pension in the name of an MLA identified as “Krishnan.” Rejecting the allegation as entirely false, she said no such MLA had ever served in the Kerala Assembly.
Ms. Sreemathy said she was shocked by the circulation of a chart claiming that “P.K Sreemathy was receiving an alleged pension illegally by posing as another person’s wife.”
“I initially thought there could be another P.K Sreemathy somewhere in Kerala. I made enquiries in districts such as Palakkad and Thrissur, but no one knew of such a person. The matter appeared in the media including an evening daily from Kannur and people began calling me continuously,” she said.
Ms. Sreemathy said the circulation of the report caused her immense mental distress and affected her family.
‘Deeply hurtful’
“I have never borrowed even ₹10 from anyone in my life. To portray me as someone who impersonated another person’s wife for financial gain is deeply hurtful. My family has also suffered because of these false reports,” she said.
Ms. Sreemathy said she was informed that the claim had first appeared on Janam TV, though she had not personally seen the original broadcast and came to know of it only after receiving links from others.
When asked whether she believed the campaign was politically motivated and aimed at targeting her, Ms. Sreemathy said she did not wish to speculate on the motive.
“I have spent 50 years in public life and have served as both a people’s representative and an administrator. This is an attempt to tarnish a reputation built over decades. I have decided to proceed strongly against this defamatory campaign,“ she said.
She clarified that the proposed legal action would also cover media organisations and online platforms that published or circulated the allegations without verification. She expressed disappointment that no journalist had contacted her to verify the claims before publishing them.
“My husband was a teacher. I was also a teacher and taught Mathematics and Science until I was 45 years old. Many false allegations have been made against me over the years, but this one has crossed all limits,” Ms. Sreemathy said.
Published – July 24, 2026 03:27 pm IST
