Civil Judge (Senior Division) of Nagpur District Court issued an interim order against the channel.
Nagpur: Smt. V.B. Gore, Civil Judge (Senior Division) of Nagpur District Court has issued an interim order against news channel ‘Maharashtra TV 24’, to prohibit it from broadcasting any defamatory material about eminent businessman Mr. Ramdeo ‘Rammu’ Agrawal. This includes his family and R Sandesh Group, which comprises businesses in sectors like real estate, textiles, media and entertainment.
The channel aired objectionable material against Mr. Agrawal and his business on March 31, 2022. In return, the petitioner had filed a defamation case of Rs 20 crores against the channel before the court. During the hearing of the case, the court concluded that the sole purpose of broadcasting the relevant news was to hurt the petitioner’s reputation in public.
The court further stated that the amount, however large, cannot lessen the blow to the honor of the petitioner. It also said that the channel has no right to attack Mr. Agrawal’s reputation. This also leads to serious breach of his privacy. The channel was given several opportunities to present its case, however no one appeared on their behalf in the court.
The judge also ordered ‘Maharashtra TV 24’ to remove the wrong and objectionable content posted on the social media platforms against Mr. Agrawal. In this case, the petitioner was represented by advocates Shyam Dewani, Jitesh Duhilani and others.
Mr. Ramdeo ‘Rammu’ Agrawal, founding director of R Sandesh Group and editor-in-chief of the daily National Sandesh newspaper, while welcoming the court’s order, called it a victory of truth.
He further said, “I respect print as well as electronic media, both the mediums are serving the country and the public honestly.”
Mr. Agrawal exclaimed that he had given ample time to the channel after they broadcast the objectionable content. He even sent them a reminder twice to rectify the mistake, but they paid no attention. Therefore, he was forced to approach the court to seek justice in this matter.
