By NAK,
Srinagar : President Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Omar Abdullah today slam a legal notice on Mehbooba Mufti President People’s Democratic Party and former minister Tariq Hameed Karra asking the duo to apologies for their `derogatory’ remarks or face a suit for damages to the tune of Rs.1 crore.
As per the party sources the legal notice was sent to Mehbooba Mufti and Tariq Hameed Karra by Omar Abdullah through his lawyer Mohammad Ishaq Qadri, Advocate alleging that the two leaders have made incorrect and motivated allegations against the later during a press conference held, here on November 20 and 21.
The two PDP leaders had alleged that the NC president had close links and associations with Swami Dayanand Pandy, the alleged mastermind in Malegaon blast case.
“You wanted the people to believe that my client is having liaison, connection with Swami Dayanand Pandy and my client has visited his Ashram and had a meeting with him for several hours”, Omar’s lawyer in his notice said adding, “you yourself did not believe it nor had any proof of the same or of any connection/association of my client with said Swami but still you leveled bald and incorrect allegations that my client had a close connection/association with said Swami”.
The notice also questioned the allegations on the ground that the duo sought a probe from the government on the issue and “thus admitted of not being certain about the correctness of the allegations leveled”.
“You tried falsely to implicate my client with the accused of Malegaon blast case by saying that my client had gone to Haridwar to seek his (Swami Dayanand Pandy) blessings, when the fact is that my client had never visited the Ashram of Swami Dayanand Pandy nor had ever sought his blessings nor had ever any chat or meeting with him nor had any sort of connection/association with him directly or indirectly, but my client had only attended the social function of Durga Nath Trust where in the inauguration of a hostel/dormitory was done, and Swami Dayanand was also present”.
It further said that the contents of the press briefing were published by several newspapers and websites which adversely affected the image and reputation of Omar Abdullah. The allegations, notice added, “was a deliberate attempt on your part to malign my client and his political party with sole object to defame my client when Jammu and Kashmir State is undergoing the elections and in order to take political mileage you leveled such false, incorrect baseless allegations deliberately, as such you have committed an offence in terms of Section 500 of the RPC and are also liable for damages on the basis of incorrect, bald, unwarranted and unfounded defamatory statements as my client was informed by number of well wishers about his association/meeting with Swami Dayanand Pandy on the basis of your press conference”.
The duo was asked to “withdraw the statement/allegations publically within a period of seven days from the date of receipt of notice and apologize failing which appropriate legal action as warranted by law including filing of criminal compliant under section 500 RPC, shall be taken”.