Ex-minister gets notice in defamation suit

NEWDELHI: A city court on Tuesday issued summons to sacked water minister Kapil Mishra in a criminal defamation complaint filed by Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain. Mishra has been directed to appear before the court on January 20, 2018.

Jain has alleged that Mishra made a baseless and defamatory statement against him before the media by holding a press conference on May 7 and alleging that he had handed over ₹2 crore to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The court will deliver order on November 13 in a separate defamation case that Jain has filed against BJP- SAD MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

Jain has accused Sirsa of defaming him on May 9 by alleging that the minister was indulging in circulating illegitimate money within the party.

Jain said that making a statement on the basis of “hearsay” without any proof or evidence supporting it, is not only unbecoming of an MLA, but also a crime of defaming a person.

According to Jain, these statements have tarnished his image in public. He said that residents of his constituency have raised questions about the incident, which has caused damage to his reputation.

The health minister had filed two criminal defamation complaints in the court against Mishra and Sirsa on May 19. If convicted, the offence of defamation entails a maximum punishment of two years.