New Delhi, July 28 : Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain told a court here on Friday that sacked minister Kapil Mishra's defamatory statements has tarnished his image in public.
Recording his statement as complainant in a defamation case against Mishra, he told Metropolitan Magistrate Shefali Barnala Tandon that on May 7, Mishra made a blatantly false, misleading, baseless, and defamatory statement before the media that Jain handed over Rs 2 crore to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 5 at his residence.
Jain said these statements were repeatedly telecast and printed by the national media across all platforms - electronic, print, and social - which caused immense damage to him and his family.
Jain's advocate Gautam Dhamija told court that he did not want to examine any other complainant witness after the conclusion of Jain's testimony and requested court to conclude defence evidence.
Thereafter, the court listed the matter for August 23 for further arguments. On August 23, the court will also a separate defamation case against BJP legislator Manjinder Singh Sirsa filed by Jain.
On May 19, Jain had filed two criminal defamation complaints against Mishra and Sirsa for allegedly defaming him by levelling graft charges against him.
In the complaint against Sirsa, Jain said that on May 9, the MLA made "libellous" statements by levelling corruption allegation against him. Making a statement on the basis of "hearsay" without any proof or evidence supporting it, is not only unbecoming of an MLA, but also a crime of defaming a person, he said.
"Such statements, without any basis, have been put in the public domain to damage the reputation of the complainant. It has become a habit with the accused to make and circulate such falsehoods," Jain added.
