A Delhi court summoned Aroon Purie and India Today in a defamation case filed by Senior Advocate Pradeep Rai. Rai has initiated a criminal defamation suit against Purie and the media outlet for allegedly publishing articles that linked him to conman Sanjay Sherpuria.
New Delhi: A Delhi court recently issued summons to the news network India Today, its Chairman Aroon Purie, Vice Chairman Kallie Purie, and other office bearers in response to a criminal defamation case initiated by Senior Advocate Pradeep Rai.
The order, passed by Judicial Magistrate Tarunpreet Kaur of the Patiala House Courts on July 26, found that India Today had prima facie defamed Rai by associating him with conman Sanjay Sherpuria.
The court’s directive stated,
“Summons are to be issued to the accused, Aroon Purie (Chairman, India Today Group), Kallie Purie (Vice Chairman, India Today Group), Supriya Prasad (Managing Editor, Tak Channels), Milind Khandekar (Managing Editor), and 5. India Today, upon the filing of PF within 15 days from today, for the offense under section 500 IPC, for the NDOH (next date of hearing).”
Rai filed the defamation lawsuit against India Today and its executives over two articles published on the Aaj Tak news channel’s website, which claimed that Rai had been summoned for questioning by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) in connection with the Sanjay Sherpuria case.
Rai contends that these articles are defamatory, incorrectly stating that he is the nephew of conman Sanjay Rai Sherpuria. Additionally, Rai filed a similar criminal defamation suit against ABP News, resulting in the court summoning the channel and its office bearers.
Sanjay Sherpuria, a businessman from Lucknow, arrested on charges of collecting money from multiple individuals by falsely claiming close associations with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and senior bureaucrats.
The Supreme Court issued an interim stay on the Delhi High Court‘s order and granted relief to Purie, noting that the allegations in the complaint did not specifically implicate him, as he was not directly responsible for the content created by the article’s author
The legal proceedings are part of a broader scrutiny of journalistic accountability and the responsibilities of media executives for published content. This case also reflects the complexities of defamation law in India, particularly concerning the roles and liabilities of editors and publishers in media organizations.
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