BJP leader seeks time to amend affidavit in defamation suit against Dhruv Rathee
New Delhi: The Saket District Court has granted BJP leader Suresh Nakhua time to address defects in his affidavit in a defamation suit filed against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. Nakhua sought to rectify the affidavit after it was flagged for non-compliance with requirements under the Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA).
During the hearing on November 14, District Judge Gunjan Gupta noted the plaintiff’s request to submit a fresh certificate under s. 63 of the BSA, which pertains to the admissibility of electronic records. Rathee's counsel opposed the plea, arguing that Nakhua had already been given ample time to correct errors.
Advocate Satvik Varma, appearing for Rathee, pointed out that Nakhua’s affidavit was filed under the old Indian Evidence Act instead of adhering to the new law, which mandates expert certification for electronic evidence. Varma emphasised that the video central to the defamation claim could not be examined without proper compliance.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 4, 2025, directing both parties to present arguments on the legislative intent of the expert certification requirement under the BSA and whether its omission is a substantial defect warranting dismissal.
Nakhua had filed the defamation suit against Rathee over a July 7 YouTube video titled “My Reply to Godi Youtubers | Elvish Yadav | Dhruv Rathee.” Nakhua alleged that Rathee linked him to “violent and abusive trolls,” damaging his reputation and subjecting him to public ridicule.
Advocate Raghav Awasthi, representing Nakhua, contended that the defect in the affidavit was curable and requested permission to submit a revised affidavit.
The case, which has seen multiple procedural challenges, will now hinge on compliance with the provisions of the BSA, 2023.
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Woman mauled to death by leopard near Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Nov 18: A 52-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard near here, officials said on Monday.
Kariamma had gone to cut grass at an agricultural field near her home at Kambalu, Gollarahatti, in Nelamangala taluk in Bengaluru Rural district on Sunday evening when the incident happened, they said.
The field, where she was working, was adjacent to a forest which is frequented by leopards, and warnings were also issued to villagers in recent times to not venture into the vicinity. There were instances of leopard killing dogs and other strays, a senior forest officer said.
"The woman, who is into rearing cattle, went to the agricultural field to cut grass and was allegedly dragged by the leopard into the forest area where the big cat mauled her to death and consumed parts of her body from head to chest," he said.
When she did not return, her family members went searching for her and discovered her half-eaten body and reported it to the forest officials, he added.
A 30 member team of leopard task force, 30 staff and 10 officers of the forest department reached the site along with forensic experts to take samples of the hair, blood stains and footprints of the leopard in order to catch the big cat, the officer said.
"Twenty huge cages have also been installed in and around the area in an attempt to catch the leopard involved in the killing," he said.
