Gautam Gambhir Files Defamation Suit Before Delhi High Court Against Hindi Newspaper For Publishing Defamatory Article To Damage His Reputation
(Judicial Quest News Network)
By Syed Ali Anjum Sadiq
Hyderabad : ( 16, May 2023), Former Indian Cricketer and BJP MP Gautam Gambhir has filed a defamation suit before Delhi High Court against Hindi newspaper “Punjab Kesri” seeking damages of ₹ 2 crores.
Gambhir in his suit submitted that the newspaper and its representatives have been intentionally publishing false and defamatory articles with a views to damage his reputation from May, 16 2022 onwards.
The suit is filed through Advocate Jai Anant Dehadri, he cited a bunch of reports to claim that paper gave a misleading spin to its stories.
The reporter of the newspaper in an article analysing the performance of a cricket team weaves into his narrative the false picture that the Plaintiff was a ‘Bhasmasura’ for his cricket team, just as he is for his Parliamentary constituency. This blatant and intentional attempt to malign the Plaintiff’s hard-work and diligence as a Parliamentarian, in a completely unconnected analysis of a Cricket match is a perverse, arbitrary and malicious attempt to the defame the Plaintiff (Gautam Gambhir).
The suit states that the media organization has also been publishing the plaintiff’s (Gautam Gambhir)personal secretary Gaurav Arora without any basis as such .
Gambhir has sued the paper, its editor Aditya Chopra as well as correspondents Amit Kumar and Imran Khan stating that they misused their journalistic freedom by publishing numerous malicious and libellous articles systematically targeting him.
‘Sansad Gautam Gambhir Lapata Gali-Gali Me Lage Poster’.(MP Gautam Gambhir goes missing, posters come up in streets);
Dilli ke lapata Sansad Lucknow Super Giants ke liye bane Bhasmasur’. (The Missing MP of Delhi has become the Bhamasur for Lucjnow Super Giants);
‘Ye Naye Mijaz ke Sansad hai Jara Faaslo se Mila Karo’.( This is the MP with a new mind-set, please keep distance while meeting him)
‘Adesh Gupta bolte reh gaye, Gautam Gambhir uth chale’.( Adesh Gupta kept talking while Gautam Gambhir left);
The suit further said that a legal notice was also issued to the organization on November 23 in 2022 to cease and desist from making any defamatory publication against him. However, no response has been received to the same by plaintiff till date. Accordingly, the hard-earned reputation of the Defendant is under threat.
It is also submitted that the media house has published incorrect and false articles intentionally to malign his image.
The suit has also stated that malicious style of journalism has been done in stark disregard of the fact that Plaintiff was required to maintainthis physical distance due to the safety regulation formulated for the Indian Premier League (“IPL”).of which he was a participant as the mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants.
Numerous malicious, libellous statements have been published, systemically targeting the Plaintiff, and especially the Plaintiff’s work as a Parliamentarian. This has been done without any justification, and without indulging even in a single act of responsible journalism. Instead, the Defendants have only misused their freedom of speech and expression. As such, the defence of public interest and truth cannot be taken by the Defendants especially because the averments made in this Plaint clearly show how the Defendants made allegation after allegation without checking or verifying the authenticity of the same. The suit added.
The suit is listed for hearing tomorrow before justice Chandra Dhari Singh
