The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court Thursday stayed proceedings in a case against India Today editor Prabhu Chawla for publishing Khusbhoo's remarks on pre-marital sex, while two other courts stayed proceedings against the actress.

The bench stayed the proceedings in the case filed at a Tirunelveli court for eight weeks. The magazine's Tamil edition had carried the actress' remarks Sep 28.

Proceedings in a similar case filed against the actress at the Sankarankovil magistrate court in Tirunelveli district have also been stayed for eight weeks.

Chawla, who moved the Madurai bench seeking to quash the case, said PMK leader R. Ramkumar had lodged a complaint against him and Khushboo "only to settle political scores against the actress".

He also said the complaint was made "to silence the voice of the media from expressing their fair opinion".

In the third case, Justice M. Chockalingam stayed proceedings in a similar case against Khushboo in the Madurai judicial magistrate court-II for four weeks.

Two other petitions to quash similar cases are pending before the judicial magistrate-II here.

Khushboo is reported to have said there was nothing wrong with girls indulging in pre-marital sex as long as it was protected, fuelling criticism from many quarters in Tamil Nadu.