Anil Ambani companies file defamation suits against journos, media houses over articles on Rafale deal

AHMEDABAD: After previously suing Congress-owned Associated Journals Ltd, which runs National Herald, and a dozen of the party’s leaders, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group companies have filed defamation suits against 15 national, international and regional media houses and journalists in Ahmedabad’s city civil court claiming that that articles published by them regarding the Rafale fighter aircraft deal were “libellous and derogatory”.
The latest round of cases seek damages ranging from Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore.
Sources said Anil Ambani’s companies began filing defamation plaints against political leaders and journalists in August. The last civil suit the company filed was on October 11. A hearing on its last plaint is posted for October 26. The suits have been filed by Reliance Defence, Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Aerostructure.
In its plaints, the company has claimed that the news articles written by various journalists and published by various media houses are misleading as they intend to make the general public believe that the company is getting undue favours from the government of the day, which is not true.
The company first filed a defamation complaint against Congress party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi for Rs 5,000 crore. The suit was filed in a court in Rajula in Amreli district for his comments on the Rafale deal. The court in Rajula returned the suit on the ground of jurisdiction. This led the company to approach Gujarat high court claiming that the Rajula court has got jurisdiction because the company’s facility is in Pipavav in Amreli district.