The High Court of Delhi will hear on Wednesday a defamation case filed by former cricketer and BJP Member of Parliament (MP) Gautam Gambhir against leading Hindi daily Punjab Kesari seeking damages of Rs two crore.
The Single-Judge Bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh will hear the defamation case today.
The former cricketer has sued the newspaper, its editor Aditya Chopra as well as correspondents Amit Kumar and Imran Khan, alleging that they misused their journalistic freedom by publishing numerous malicious and libelous articles systematically targeting him.
Filed by Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, the suit cited a bunch of reports to claim that the newspaper gave a misleading spin to its stories. One of the reports even went on to compare gambhir with the mythical demon Bhasmasur, it was contended.
Some of the reports mentioned in the suit are:
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 (Delhi’s missing MP becomes Bhasmasur for Lucknow Super Giants);
Adesh Gupta bolte reh gaye, Gautam Gambhir uth chale (Adesh Gupta kept talking, Gautam Gambhir left);
Ye Naye Mijaz ke Sansad hai Jara Faaslo se Mila Karo (This is the MP of a new frame of mind, please keep your distance while meeting him).
As per Gambhir, these reports created a false and deeply defamatory narrative regarding his work and bona fides as a Parliamentarian in the minds of readers.
The suit further alleged that the newspaper articles painted him as a casteist person and a high-nosed politician.
The former cricketer sought damages of Rs two crore to be given to charitable organisations. Gambhir further sought an unconditional apology from the defendants and the same should be published in all newspapers (including digital versions) circulated by Punjab Kesari. He also submitted that directions should be issued to the paper to retract each and every defamatory publication made against him.