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TV channel sued

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: K. Jothikumaran, who was forced to resign as secretary-general of the Indian Hockey Federation, has sued Aaj Tak seeking Rs. 25 lakh in damages for libel.

Mr. Jothikumaran was shown on video accepting cash allegedly for selecting a player for the Azlan Shah Cup tournament. Following this, he resigned.

In the plaint before the Madras High Court, filed by counsel N.S. Sivam, Mr. Jothikumaran said a perusal of the transcript of the conversation conclusively exposed the “fraudulent claims of Aaj Tak.” Cheating and depiction were resorted to by making a deliberate misrepresentation and by producing concocted business cards. The claim in the preamble that a “bribe of Rs. 2 lakh was given to Jothikumaran in a five-star hotel in Delhi in two instalments on April 10 and April 11 2008” was repelled by the transcript of the conversation recorded in an e-mail. The transcript failed to mention anything on the selection of the player.

On April 21, Mohit Roy Sharma, Associate Editor of TV Today Network Ltd, defendant, sent an e-mail to the media under the caption “Jothikumaran caught on camera accepting bribe for selecting a player for the Indian hockey team.” The e-mail exposed the channel’s wilful intention to malign the fair name of Mr. Jothikumaran and the IHF, which is the first plaintiff, the plaint said.

The IHF and Mr. Jothikumaran prayed for a decree that the e-mail and the programme “Operation Chak De” telecast on April 21 by the channel and the subsequent clips of the programme shown in the telecast of the channel and “Headlines Today” were false and defamatory. These lowered his status in the public eye and in the government, it was submitted.

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