KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
A noted business family of the Kashmir Valley has served legal notices on two national television channels seeking unconditional apology for disseminating falsehood about its legitimate dealings particularly a hotel-cum-shopping arcade along Srinagar’s Residency Road owned by it.
The legal notices, sent through prominent lawyer Mian Abdul Qayoom, inform these TV channels that they will be sued for defamation unless they tender apology and broadcast a clarifying statement within ten days after receiving these.
According to the notices served on the TV channels, a panelist, Rashnik Kher had during the course of a debate in Times Now’s News Hour programme on July 17, 2015 alleged that the hotel-cum-shopping mall along the Residency Road, Srinagar owned by well-known businessman of the Valley Mohammad Shafi Shah and his son Imtiyaz Ahmed Shah has actually been built from the money received through hawala channels. He also claimed that the multi-storey building is actually owned by two separatist leaders “including one residing in Maisuma, Srinagar.”
The same panelist repeated the false and mischievous assertion in unequivocal fashion during a similar debate on News X, broadcast live next day (July 18, 2015). He also said that the PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir should take immediate action against “these terrorists.”
The notices served on M/S Vineet Jain and Sameer Jain, the proprietors of the Times Now, its editor Arnob Goswami and Kartikey Sharma, proprietor of the News X, its editor Rahul Shivshankar and Kher give the background of how the land measuring 2 kanals, 18 marlas and 158 sq. ft. bearing survey No. 177 situated at Kothi Bagh (Residency Road) and the building over it (known as Pestonjee building) was legally acquired by Shah and his two sons Manzoor Ahmed Shah and Imtiyaz Ahmed Shah from KB Pestonjee and subsequently a hotel-cum-shopping mall build over the said land replacing the erstwhile Pestonjee building which had been gutted in a fire incident in 1992.
The notices refer to the legal procedure which was strictly followed by the new owners of the premises and the rulings of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and the Supreme Court of India which make it emphatically clear and unambiguous that the sole owners of the premises is the Shah family and all the dealings were done in open and transparent fashion.
However, the false and mischievous statement of Kher through the TV channels “has damaged the reputation, prestige and honour of my clients and has lowered them down in the estimation of general public,” the legal notices said.
The TV channels have been asked to apologise and also broadcast statements clarifying the actual position and “reality and truth” about the property owned by the Shah family within ten days failing which both criminal and civil proceedings would be initiated against Kher for his disseminating falsehood and the two TV channels for allowing him to do it.
The notices further said that not only will the aggrieved party seek the prosecution of Times Now and News X and punishment according to the law awarded to them but also seek for “placing curbs on your news channel(s), so that you will stop abusing your prerogative by preaching falsehood under the guise of fair comment.”
