Former India cricketer and BJP Member of Parliament, Gautam Gambhir has decided to sue Hindi newspaper Punjab Kesari in accusations of defamation. The Lucknow Super Giants mentor has reportedly filed a suit before the Delhi High Court and sought damages worth INR 2 crores.
Gambhir has taken action against Punjab Kesari editor Aditya Chopra and correspondents Amit Kumar and Imran Khan for misusing their journalistic freedom. Gambhir further sued the newspaper for publishing numerous fake and libellous articles targeting the cricketer.
The case has been filed through advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, Gambhir quoted several reports and claimed that the Hindi daily gave a misleading angle to its stories. According to a report by 'Bar and Bench', one of the reports in the newspaper allegedly compared him with the mythical demon 'Bhasmasur'.
Some of the reports mentioned in the suit, as per Bar and Bench 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 distance while meeting him).
The suit stated, " It is the respectful case of the Plaintiff that the pattern of these defamatory publications is indicative of a willful campaign launched by the Defendants to lower the reputation and standing of the Plaintiff in the eyes of his constituents, supporters, and the public at large The Defendants undertook no effort to confirm or corroborate the veracity of their publication – which further points out their collective malaise against the Plaintiff."
The suit w ill be presented tomorrow before Justice Chandra Dhari Singh which also includes Gambhir asking for damages of ₹2 crores donated to charitable organisations. He also hopes that the defendants should publish an unconditional apology across all newspapers (including digital versions) circulated by Punjab Kesari.