Taking cognisance of a criminal defamation case against senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, The Caravan and its staffer Kaushal Shroff filed by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s son Vivek Doval, a Delhi court on Tuesday posted the matter to January 30.
Mr. Vivek Doval had filed the case on Monday charging the accused persons with linking his Cayman Islands-based hedge fund GNY Asia to demonetisation and money laundering.
In his complaint, Mr. Vivek Doval said that he was constrained to file the complaint as the accused persons had deliberately maligned and defamed him, seemingly to settle scores with his father.
The accused persons levelled serious allegations of money laundering against the fund which is his legitimate and ethical business venture, the complaint alleged.
The controversy started with the publication of an article authored by Mr. Shroff in the magazine titled “The D-Companies” on January 16. The author of the article insinuated various wrongdoings and unlawful actions on the part of the complainant, the complaint stated.
Not only the complainant, his elder brother and his companies were also maligned. The article had been written in a manner that it raised apprehensions on the ventures of the complainant and related it to the demonetisation, the complaint stated.
The article authored by Mr. Shroff and published by the magazine was not substantiated by any documents and backed by any due diligence, the complaint said.
On the basis of the article, Mr. Ramesh had been holding a press conferences and making irresponsible statements further maligning the reputation and goodwill of the complainant as well as the entire Doval family, the complaint further stated.
“The sudden rush to the press conference on the facts derived from an article of a magazine and the undue haste shown to do so without verifying the facts, does indicate mala fide intention of Mr. Ramesh abusing the platform of the Indian National Congress. It becomes clear from the tone and tenor of the accused,” the complaint stated.
