Magistrate to examine evidence in defamation complaint against Tejashwi’s remarks on Gujaratis

The complaint filed by Harish Mehta, Vice President of the All India Council on Corruption and Crime Prevention (Gujarat) – an Ahmedabad-based voluntary organization, alleged that Yadav said, on March 22, during a media address, “Do thag hai naa, jo thag hai , thagi ko jo anumati hai, aaj ke desh ke halat mein dekha jayein toh sirf Gujarati hi thag ho sakte hai aur uske thag ko maaf kiya jaayega. Jimivar Hoga.(The two cheats that exist, the leeway given to cheaters, if the current situation in the country is seen, then only Gujarati people can cheat and their cheating will be forgiven. They will be given LIC money and bank money and they will run away from it. Who will take responsibility?)”.

Mehta claimed to have come across Yadav’s allegedly defamatory and hurtful speech on YouTube on March 25 while watching “AajTak Digital News” and alleged that Yadav’s remarks had defamed the “entire Gujarati community”. He claimed that with these remarks, people of other communities would “look at Gujaratis as scoundrels, cheaters and criminals”.

A ‘Thag’ is defined as ‘a rogue, cunning and criminal person’… These words are used by the current elected member of Ragpur constituency (Vishali) and the current Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar who is also a Rashtriya Janata party chief and a prominent leader,” it states in the complaint. Mehta. Referring to Yadav being a politician of good repute, the complainant also claimed that such statements “accidentally” equating all Gujaratis with cheaters had caused “mental and physical harm” to Gujaratis.

Lawyer Pravulbhai Ratibhai Patel, president of the voluntary organization, who is also representing Mehta in court, said the magistrates’ court would analyze the evidence presented by the complainant in the case. “We have provided a CD and a pendrive containing the defamatory remarks of Tejashwi Yadav, which will be heard by the court. We will also present two witnesses to three witnesses who are Gujarati and were injured because of his comments. If the court is satisfied after our notes and the evidence we have presented, it will issue summonses for the accused,” said Patel. . However, he refused to disclose the witnesses who will be brought before the examining magistrate and said the list will be presented to the court on May 20 when the matter will be considered next.

Mehta sought directions from the Magistrates Court to file a criminal complaint under Sections 499 and 500 of the Iraqi Penal Code to issue summonses or injunctions against the defendant, request Yadav’s presence in court and impose the “strictest punishment” on Yadav.

Notably, this is the second criminal defamation complaint involving political leaders after the Surat Magistrates Court found Congress leader Rahul Gandhi guilty of criminal defamation in March and sentenced him to two years in prison.

Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Magistrates Court, on April 15, summoned Delhi Chief Minister and National Congress Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in a criminal defamation complaint over their statements about PM Narendra. Modi’s educational qualification. Both leaders were asked to appear on May 23 after the court found, prima facie, valid defamation in their statements.