A local city civil court, on Monday, fixed as September 9 for hearing Essar Steel India Ltd’s defamation case in which the steel major has demanded damages to the tune of Rs 250 crore against a Delhi-based periodical for allegedly claiming, among other things, that the company possibly paid Maoists in Chhattisgarh.
The Caravan magazine, in its August 2015 issue, had carried a long story claiming that Essar wielded power in the government and finance and that the company “purchased” power.
Following this, the company issued a legal notice to the periodical early in August asking it to retract the story and apologize unconditionally. When this did not come about, Essar went to the court demanding damages.
Earlier, the court had issued summons to the four defendants, including its editor, to appear on Monday but only their lawyer appeared, urging the court to grant four weeks’ time. The court then gave two weeks’ time for appearance of the defendants.