New Delhi, July 7: A Delhi court on Friday issued fresh summons to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and others in a defamation suit seeking to restrain them from publishing the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any other material related to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Additional District Judge Ruchika Singla of Rohini Courts in a suit filed by BJP leader Binay Kumar Singh observed that the BBC and other defendants – Wikimedia Foundation and the US-based digital library Internet Archive – are foreign entities and the service of summons must be effected as per guidelines issued by Delhi High Court.
Earlier, it was opposed that since the defendants are foreign entities, the service could be effected only as per the procedure prescribed.
During the hearing, the court on Friday said that mere filing of ‘vakalatnama’ by the lawyers shall not do away with the mandatory requirement of the service of summons on the defendant entities under the prescribed procedure.
“Hence, by virtue of the same, it is clear that as per the rules formulated under the Hague Convention and by the Government of India, the summons/ notices in foreign countries can be effected only through the Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, which has admittedly not been done in the present case,” the court said. It added:
Singh, who claims to be the state executive committee member of the Jharkhand BJP and an active volunteer of the RSS and VHP, moved the suit through advocate Mukesh Sharma stating that the claims made in the documentary against the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad are made with the intention of defaming the organisations and its volunteers. “The allegations made against the RSS and VHP are motivated by a malicious intent to defame the organisations and its millions of members/volunteers. Such unfounded allegations have the potential to damage the reputation and image of the RSS, VHP and its millions of members/ volunteers, who have committed themselves to upholding the cultural, social and national values of India,” the suit states. (IANS)
