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Jindal made false allegation against me: Zee editor

January 10, 2013 18:40 IST

Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary on Thursday told a Delhi court that Congress MP Naveen Jindal and 16 other officials of his firm against whom he had filed a criminal defamation complaint, had levelled "false allegations" against him to tarnish his image.

Chaudhary told this to the court while recording his statement in connection with his complaint in which he had alleged that Jindal and Jindal Steel and Power Ltd officials had made "deliberately false" statements against him.

He told Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja that Jindal and others had registered a "false case" against him in the alleged Rs 100 crore extortion bid case and defamed him by levelling allegations on him in a press conference in New Delhi.

"In September 2012, a false case was registered against me at the behest of the respondents (Jindal and others) and they defamed me at different steps for which I have filed the present complaint," Chaudhary told the court.

Chaudhary and Zee Business Editor Samir Ahluwalia were arrested on November 27, 2012 on a complaint by Jindal's firm that they had demanded Rs 100 crore as an advertising deal for not airing "negative" news reports against JSPL in connection with the coal block allocation scandal.

They both were granted bail on December 17, 2012 by court in the case in which they have been booked under sections 384 (extortion), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code.

After recording Chaudhary's statement on Thursday, the court reserved its order for January 15 for further proceedings. "Complainant (Chaudhary) has been examined on oath. The arguments on the application filed by the complainant under section 91 of the CrPC have been heard. Put up for order on January 15," the magistrate said.

In his statement, Chaudhary said Jindal along with others had claimed in the press conference held on October 25, 2012 that Broadcast Editors Association had removed him from the post of treasurer after considering his statement, whereas he has never attended any such meeting. He, in his complaint, had said that Jindal and others had made "false statements" that BEA had removed him "after giving him opportunity and after considering his statement, but he (Chaudhary) never appeared before BEA and it passed the order without hearing him". He had said in his complaint that defamatory statements were made in an FIR lodged against him in the alleged Rs 100 crore extortion bid case at the press conference.

Ahluwalia had also filed a separate criminal defamation complaint against Jindal and others in a court here.

"The statements made by the accused persons are totally malicious, false, incorrect and defamatory allegations/remarks against the complainant," Chaudhary had said in his complaint.

He had also alleged that JSPL has circulated among its shareholders a letter containing very "serious and utterly false allegations" against him because of which he is facing humiliation, ill treatment and his goodwill and reputation has been lowered down in his social circle.