New Delhi [India], September 3 (ANI): The Congress on Saturday said that it stands behind each and every question asked at a press conference by its leaders on August 23, in reply to Union minister Smriti Irani’s defamation suit.
Notably, the Congress leaders are facing a civil defamation suit filed by Irani in Delhi High Court.
Congress has filed a reply stating, “The answering defendants (Congress leaders) stand behind each and every question asked and points made at the Press Conference on August 23 and reiterate the position that the plaintiff (Smriti Irani) cannot escape or evade answering these questions.”
Union minister Smriti Irani in July had moved Delhi High Court against the Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and others for alleged defamatory allegations against her daughter. The BJP leader has also sought damages of more than Rs 2 crore.
Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Netra D’souza in their reply filed in Delhi HC stated that the role of the principal opposition party is to raise issues which affect the public, especially if the issue relates to statutory licenses being renewed in the name of a deceased person by a restaurant which has a direct connection with a Minister in the Union Cabinet of the Government of India.
It further stated, “The Plaintiff, who herself has held numerous press conferences of a similar nature bringing issues of varying importance before the public, cannot level any malafides on the Answering Defendants for holding a press conference on an issue that involves grave allegations of illegality and even fraud.”
Congress leaders in their reply also stated that the present suit that has been filed by Irani is an abuse of process of law, as Irani, while deliberately and knowingly suppressed documents, information and linkages, and has intentionally placed before this Court, distorted and concocted facts and has provided factually incorrect and misleading statements, so as to take advantage of getting an ad-interim order from this Court.
The bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna had not only issued the notice on the petition but also criticized the defendants for making allegations without any basis or substance against her daughter.
The Delhi High Court on July 29, 2022, had issued summons to Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Netta D’souza in a civil suit filed by Irani. The court also directed the Congress leaders to remove the post, videos, tweets, retweets, and morphed pictures of plaintiff and her daughter along with the allegations and stop their recirculation regarding allegations made against her and her daughter
The court had also said if the defendants (three Congress leaders) fail to comply with the directions within 24 hours of this order social media platforms Google, YouTube, Twitter and others are directed to take down the material.
Irani filed civil defamation seeking permanent and mandatory injunction along with damages and stated that Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Netta D’souza conspired with other unknown individuals to launch a series of scathing and belligerent personal remarks to malign and defame a young child of the plaintiff who does not even live in the country. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.