Rajkot: The Rajkot Detection of Crime Branch police have booked city-based journalist Jagdish Mehta, a familiar face regularly appearing on YouTube and TV channel discussions. The FIR was filed by the owner of the daily newspaper Saurashtra Headline, alleging that the accused, along with Girish Solanki, misused the publication’s registered trademark and logo, demanded money, and issued threats.

According to the FIR lodged by Pushparajsinh Ghanshyamsinh Rana, who runs Saurashtra Headline from his office at Silver Coin, Crystal Mall, Kalavad Road, the Managing Director of Headline News, along with a group auditor named Jagdish Mehta, allegedly published news under the name Saurashtra Headline without authorization. The complainant stated that he legally acquired the rights to the newspaper, including its registered logo and trademark, from previous owners for Rs. 30 lakh in 2024, and the trademark was officially registered on 3 November 2025.

The FIR alleges that despite being informed not to use the logo, the accused continued unauthorized publication and even demanded Rs. 40 lakh to stop using it.

“Girish N. Solanki threatened me with physical harm, stating he would kill me if I interfered with the logo usage. Jagdish Mehta also threatened that we would have to pay money if we wished to prevent misuse of our logo,” the FIR stated.

Meanwhile, Mehta clarified that he is merely an employee and that during a telephonic conversation with the other party, he only suggested that the owners resolve the logo dispute themselves after a meeting. Mehta questioned the authenticity of the extortion charges, emphasizing that if true, there should be evidence such as mobile chats, recordings, or written communication. Furthermore, Mehta was forced to resign from Madhya Gujarat Headline after this FIR was filed.

He also noted a trend of filing FIRs against individuals who speak their minds without fear and stated that this is the third FIR against him, following two previous complaints. The earlier cases were filed by Congress MLA Tushar Chaudhary, alleging violations under the Atrocity Act, naming Mehta as the first accused and another journalist, Gopi Ghanghar, as the second. The second case was filed by Vikram Madam, a Congress leader from Jamnagar.

Notably, Girish N. Solanki has a criminal history involving blackmail, extortion, and other serious offenses, and was recently booked by Vadodara police. DeshGujarat