Sondhi's lawyer, Suwat Apaipak, filed a lawsuit with the Criminal Court alleging that Police Maj-General Winai Thongsong, the CSD chief, had defamed Sondhi when he said, "there's no case clearer than that of Sondhi's".

Winai allegedly made the comment on April 18, when reporters asked him about police complaints filed against Sondhi. Sondhi stands accused of lese majeste, or making an "inappropriate" remark regarding His Majesty the King.

The lawsuit also accused Winai of malfeasance for what the plaintiff described as unfair practice in dealing with the case against Sondhi.

The court accepted the lawsuit and scheduled May 22 for a pre-trial hearing.

Sondhi is also a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which last month held several anti-government street protests.

In a related development, the policeman in charge of an investigation into whether the five PAD leaders had attempted to overthrow the government yesterday insisted the accused had to meet investigators by April 28 to hear formal charges read against them.

Assistant National Police Chief Lt-General Chaiyan Maklamthong said investigators were yet to discuss whether arrest warrants would be issued for the PAD leaders if they did not meet the deadline.

Chaiyan yesterday met about 50 farmers from the Northeast who called on him to offer moral support in dealing with the case.