Ahmedabad, 26 September 2014

Defamation plea against author Madhu Kishwar filed by former Ahmedabad Mayor and Congress leader Himmatsinh Patel has been rejected by Metro court.

Prof. Madhu Kishwar had during a book launch at Ahmedabad Management Association stated that even some Congress leaders were involved in year 2002 riots in Gujarat. She had particularly named Himmatsinh Patel before a group of journalists who attended a function to launch her book ‘Modi, Muslim and Media’.

When news reports in this regard published in local newspapers, Himmatsinh filed defamation suit in Metropolitan court against Madhu Purnima Kishwar and publisher Ashok Gupta.

The court had ordered probe into this and received statements of Congress leader Badruddin Sheikh and Jitu Brahmbhatt. The court also checked documents produced as evidence.

Later the court rejected Himmatsinh’s plea on 24 September.

It should be noted that another defamation case involving Madhu Kishwar is going on in Ahmedabad rural sessions court. This case has been filed by Pradeep Sharma.

Teesta allowed to fly abroad:

Local court in Ahmedabad has permitted controversial NGO operator Teesta Setalvad to fly abroad. Teesta was granted anticipatory bail by Sessions court in Ahmedabad in anti-Hindu tweet related case. However this relief was conditional. The court had asked her to surrender her passport. Accordingly Teesta surrendered her passport, but later in a plea sought permission to fly abroad to attend conference. The court has permitted her to fly abroad and given back her passport, but with a condition that she will surrender her passport on 13 October after she returns from abroad.