NEW DELHI: Refusing to pass an interim order on a plea by BJP MP Gautam Gambhir against a media house, the Delhi High Court observed that even though some of the words used in the news report against the former cricketer were improper, ‘a public person must be thick-skinned.’
Though refusing to pass an interim order ‘at this stage’, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh issued notice on Gambhir’s defamation suit against the media house to withdraw the alleged defamatory publications in which ‘false, libellous and slanderous’ statements have been made against him.
“Any public person should be thick skinned. With this social media and all, even the judges have to be thick skinned,” the judge remarked during the hearing.The high court, however, said prima facie it was satisfied that the matter requires consideration and summons must be issued to defendants – a Hindi daily, its editor-in-chief and three reporters.
Gambhir claimed in his suit the defendants were publishing ‘false and malicious’ reports against him and sought the court’s direction to them to tender unconditional apology which shall be published in all newspapers.
Justice Chandra Dhari Singh issued notice and summons to the media house and four others on the main suit. The court also issued notice to them on the application for interim relief and listed the matter for further hearing on October 18.
Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, representing Gambhir, said he was a well-known public servant and a cricketer and the publication was targeting him as the articles brought out by it over the last year were malicious and vindictive in nature.