Laloo aide drags Thackeray to court for defamation

Janata Dal legislator Ram Jiwan Prasad has filed a defamation suit against Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and a reporter of the Sena daily Saamna. The legislator says Saamna has tarnished Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav's reputation by falsely stating that he owned a large number of flats in Bombay and was preparing to purchase more property with the proceeds in the fodder scam.

The report, published on May 27, claimed that Yadav owned 20 flats in New Bombay and two farm houses in Lonavla.

The chief judicial magistrate's court in Patna admitted the suit on Monday.

Rajniti Prasad, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that Thackeray, as editor, printer and publisher of Samna and its reporter Prem Shukla had ''intentionally and with premeditated designs published the article''.

The complainant submitted that the news item was a ''shocking blow'' to Laloo Yadav's admirers.

The suit charged that the news was baseless and was a figment of the reporter's imagination. It was published in the newspaper without being verified, authenticated or cross-checked.

The suit claimed that Laloo Yadav did not own any such property in New Bombay or Lonavla. No such property were ever bought by Yadav in the name of his wife or any of his relatives.

The petition stated it was false to say that the CBI investigation found any such property during its probe in the fodder scam.

The complainant submitted that he himself went to the chief minister and inquired about the matter and also verified the contents of the news item from all angles and was convinced that it was published to intentionally defame Laloo Yadav.

UNI