New Delhi: December 21, 2012: Today, Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary has filed a case of Criminal Defamation against Mr Naveen Jindal and 16 others in the court of Hon’ble Judge Jai Thareja in the Patiala House Courts Campus. The Court has fixed January 3, 2013 as the date for consideration of the complaint.
Vijay Aggarwal, Counsel for Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary said, "My client Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary has filed a complaint under section 499 IPC for criminal defamation which is punishable for 2 years of imprisonment under section 500 IPC. It was listed before the court of learned Metropolitan Magistrate Mr Jai Thareja. The learned Judge has heard our arguments and has fixed the same for the purpose of taking cognizance and it would be decided by the Judge on January 3, 2013. And after that if requires the Court would record the evidence of my client and then Court may summon these accused persons. Then they will have to face the trial for an offence which is punishable for 2 years.”
Criminal defamation has been filed against Naveen Jindal, Anand Goel, Haigreev Khaitan, Vikrant Gujral, Ravi Uppal, Arun Kumar Purwar, Ratan Jindal, Sushil Kumar Maroo, Sudarshan Kumar Garg, Inderpal Singh Kalra, Hardip Singh Wirk, Shallu Jindal, Ram Vinay Shah, Arun Kumar, Dinesh Kumar Saraogi, Tej Kishen Sadhu, Rajeev Bhaduria.
In a separate development today, the Delhi Police tried to force the two Zee Editors, Sudhir Chaudhary and Samir Ahluwalia, for a voice sample test and asked them to read the same incriminating line from the transcript, which they refused on advice by their counsel.
The prevalent laws of the country on voice sample and hand writing is clear that the accused need not read the same lines, he/she can speak out anything that he/she desires.
The Investigating Officer insisted that the two Editors give their denial in writing. On this, the two Editors requested the Investigating Officer to give in writing that he wants them to read the same lines, which the Investigating Officer denied to do. The behavior of the Investigating Officer will be put in front of the Hon’ble court by the lawyers of the two Editors, as it is one more confirmation of the one-sided probe being attempted by Delhi Police and premeditated harassment meted out to Zee Group officials.
Chaudhary and Ahluwalia have been falsely implicated in a case in relating to a series of exposes in the Coalgate scam involving Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal. The two Zee Editors wanted to expose Mr Jindal’s template of silencing media coverage of Coalgate through a Rs-100 crore advertisement contract.
