CPM State Secretary Comrade M.V. Govindan Master has initiated legal action against the Malayalam daily Malayalam Manorama for publishing false news report aimed at defaming him and the party leadership. Through a lawyer's notice, Comrade M.V. Govindan Master has warned that unless the newspaper withdraws the report and issues an apology, he will approach the court under both civil and criminal law seeking damages of ₹1 crore.
The lawyer's notice states that the news report published on Page 7 of the June 14, 2026 edition of Malayalam Manorama under the headline, "No change in leadership, says Govindan; Hopes of replacing me and Pinarayi are mere delusions," is completely false and baseless. The notice further alleges that the report was deliberately fabricated with the intention of portraying both the party and Govindan Master negatively before the public.
The primary demand in the notice is that Malayalam Manorama publish an unconditional apology in the newspaper with the same prominence within seven days of receiving the notice. It also demands the immediate removal of the report from Manorama's online editions and social media accounts. The notice warns that if these demands are not met, legal action for defamation will be initiated.
The lawyer's notice was sent by Advocate Pallichal S.K. Pramod on behalf of Comrade M.V. Govindan Master against Malayalam Manorama Chief Editor Mamman Mathew, Editorial Director Jose Panachippuram, and Thiruvananthapuram Bureau Chief Sujith Nair.