Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary today slapped a defamation complaint against Congress MP Naveen Jindal and 16 officials of his firm Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) for allegedly making “deliberately false” statements against him with the intention to tarnish his image.
Chaudhary, in his complaint against Jindal and several Directors of JSPL, said that defamatory statements were made in an FIR lodged against him in the alleged Rs 100 crore extortion bid case at a press conference held here.
Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Jay Thareja heard the brief arguments advanced by Chaudhary’s counsel Vijay Aggarwal and fixed the matter for January 3 for passing order on the issue of taking cognisance of the complaint.
“Fresh written complaint filed under section 200 CrPC alleging commission of offence under section 499 (defamation) of IPC. Arguments on the point of taking cognisance have been heard. Put up for orders on taking cognisance and if required, further proceeding on January 3, 2013,” the magistrate said.
During the arguments, Aggarwal said there were two causes of action for filing the complaint against the Congress MP and the directors of JSPL.
Chaudhary and Zee Business Editor Samir Ahluwalia were arrested on November 27 on a complaint by Jindal’s firm that they had demanded Rs 100 crore as an advertising deal for not airing negative news against the firm in connection with the coal block allocation scandal.
Both Chaudhary and Ahluwalia were later on granted bail on December 17 by the court.
They have been booked under section 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the IPC.