SHILLONG, Aug 30: Security Advisor to the Meghalaya government and former Director-General of Police R Chandranathan on Tuesday served a legal notice, through his lawyer, against The Shillong Times for publishing a series of news items based on the internal report of the five-member police inquiry team that had exposed the vehicle scam in the Police Headquarters (PHQ).
The legal notice was served on the Editor and the publisher of ST in addition to an unknown person identified as “By Our Reporter”.
The notice was served by Supreme Court lawyer Imran Ali, who mentioned that his client had a blotless career throughout his service and holds great respect, repute, dignity, and prestige in his professional and personal life.
The notice said the report compiled by the fact-finding team appointed by DGP Lajja Ram Bishnoi on July 21, which was supposed to be filed before the government, was either deliberately leaked in the media or concocted by ST as a false narrative to sensationalize the issue to raise the sale of the newspaper.
The notice said that ST published stories (based on alleged opinion) by intentionally withholding the name of the reporter and giving it a specific defamatory colour with malafide intent to wilfully defame the former DGP.
The notice pointed out that no allegations were made against the former DGP in the said inquiry.
“You, with a criminal conspiracy to harm the repute of my client and to intentionally defame him published/printed false and defamatory news stories and have committed the criminal acts which are punishable under sections 120B, 499, 501, 502, 34 IPC and are liable for criminal prosecution,” it read.
The legal notice made it clear that that the former DGP has no role/connection with the alleged mismanagement done by GK Iangrai and asked ST to disclose the name of the reporter and names of the serving police officers and retired DGPs whom have been quoted in the reports.
“You are hereby put to notice that your acts of publishing, printing, and selling the false and defamatory stories calls for payment of liquidated damages, to my client valued conservatively amounting to Rs one crore ninety-nine lakh. The undersigned has clear instructions from the client to also get an FIR registered against you under the penal provisions mentioned above,” it added.
