The Hindu : National : Court summons Arjun Singh

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Saturday, Dec 25, 2004

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National

Court summons Arjun Singh

YAMUNANAGAR, DEC. 24. A local court today issued summons to the Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, in a defamation case filed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The First Class Judicial Magistrate, Atul Marya, directed Mr. Singh and the Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu , N. Ram, among others, to present themselves before him on January 31 on a petition filed by the State RSS chief, Darshan Lal Jain.

The summons were issued in relation to a speech by Mr. Singh at a meeting in Delhi on August 8.

The RSS had filed the suit for blaming it for Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. It sent a legal notice to Mr. Singh asking him to withdraw his statement and decided to sue him when Mr. Singh refused to do so.

Meanwhile, the India Today group Editor, Prabhu Chawla, today failed to appear at a local court in a defamation suit filed against him for reporting that Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi under the influence of RSS ideology. The Judicial Magistrate, Rajan Walia, ordered Mr. Chawla to appear before him on January 25 after he sought exemption from personal appearance on medical grounds.

The case was filed by the advocate, Mukesh Garg, on the basis of an article written by Mr. Chawla in December 2003.

PTI reports from New Delhi:

Reacting to the development, Mr. Singh said: "It is a legal matter. My legal advisers will look into it."

PTI, UNI

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