Court takes cognisance of defamation plea against Naveen Jindal

In a significant development, a Delhi court today took cognisance of Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary's criminal defamation complaint against Congress MP Naveen Jindal and 16 officials of his firm Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL).

"The cognisance of offence under section 499 (defamation) read with 34 (common intention) of the IPC is taken... Keeping in view the law laid down in the provisions of CrPC and the judgement of the Delhi High Court, the examination of complainant and his witnesses is being proceeded with.

"Put up for examination of complainant and his witnesses on oath for January 7," Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja said.

Meanwhile, Zee Business Editor Samir Ahluwalia too filed a defamation complaint against Jindal today, but in a different court which will decide on January 9 whether to take cognisance of his plea.

Chaudhary, who was granted exemption from personal appearance for today, has alleged in his complaint that Jindal and JSPL officials had made "deliberately false" statements against him with the intention to tarnish his image.

He has 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 a press conference held here.

Chaudhary and 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 the firm in connection with the coal block allocation scandal.

Both of them were granted bail on December 17, 2012 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. The court had reserved its order on Chaudhary's complaint on December 21 last year after hearing arguments by his lawyer Vijay Aggarwal.

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