Anil Ambani to withdraw defamation suits against Congress, National Herald
Ahmedabad, May 21: Anil Ambani's Reliance Group has decided to withdraw the Rs 5,000-crore civil defamation suits filed in an Ahmedabad court against Congress leaders and National Herald newspaper over their statements and an article on the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal.
The suits were being heard in the court of city civil and sessions judge P J Tamakuwala.
"We have intimated the defendants that we are going to withdraw the suits against them," the complainant's lawyer, Rasesh Parikh, told PTI on Tuesday.
P S Champaneri, the lawyer representing the National Herald and some other defendants, said he was told by the Reliance Group's counsel that he received instructions from his client to withdraw the defamation suits against them.
The formal process to withdraw the suits will be taken up in the court when it resumes after the summer vacation, Champaneri said.
Reliance Defence, Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Aerostructure part of the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Group-- had earlier filed civil defamation suits against Congress leaders including Sunil Jakhar, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Oommen Chandy, Ashok Chavan, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Sanjay Nirupam and Shaktisinh Gohil, and some journalists and news organisations like the National Herald.
The defamation suits were also filed against the National Herald's editor Zafar Agha, and Vishwadeepak, the author of a news article published by it.
Before going for summer vacation, the court was hearing applications moved by the defendants questioning the territorial jurisdiction of the court in Ahmedabad to hear such suits.
The complainants said the defendants made libelous and derogatory statements against the Reliance Group and its chairman Anil Ambani pertaining to the Rafale fighter jet deal and his firms.
They asked the defendants to "cease and desist" from levelling allegations against the company in connection with the Rafale deal.
The defamation suit filed against the National Herald pertained to an article published by it, titled 'Anil Ambani floated Reliance Defence 10 days before Modi announced Rafale deal'.
The article "misleads the general public to believe that undue business favours are being extended to them by the government of the day," the petition said.
It conveys a "negative image" and "adversely affects the public perception" of Reliance Group and its chairman Ambani, it said.
It has caused "considerable damage" to the reputation and goodwill of plaintiff firms, it said, seeking damages of Rs 5,000 crore.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
