Dr Naik also considering filing civil suit against TimesNow before Bombay High Court very soon.
By A Mirsab, TwoCirlces.net,
Mumbai: Days after sending a Rs. 500 crore defamation notice to Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and four other office bearers of Times Now, Dr. Zakir Naik will be sending a similar legal notice to other news channels and media houses.
Dr Naik is also mulling to file civil suit against Times Now before Bombay High Court very soon.
Speaking with TwoCircles.net, Advocate Mubeen Solkar who last week sent defamation notice on behalf of Dr Naik, confirmed the developments and said Dr Naik has instructed him to send similar defamation notice to other Indian TV News Channels for running defamatory programs against him without verifying facts and without having any positive and/or cogent evidence in support.
“We are in a process of initiating legal action against several other electronic and print media publications for defaming my client who happens to be an international orator on Islam and comparative religion”, Solkar told TwoCircles.net.
He also confirmed that after sending defamation notice to Times Now, his team is now drafting the suit that he would soon file before High Court against Times Now for carrying out a ‘media trial’ with the ‘malicious intent’ of defaming Dr Naik.
“We intend to approach Bombay High court and file a civil suit very soon against Times Now news channel”, Solkar said, adding, “Media should act responsibly because its reporting influences people and thus everything it reports should be verified and based on facts”.
Solkar sent a 22-page notice against five – Arnab Goswami, President & Editor in Chief – TimesNow, Megha Prasad, Bureau Chief – TimesNow, Avinash Kaul, Chief Executive Officer – TimesNow, Sunil Lulla, Chief Executive Officer – Times Global Broadcasting Co. Ltd. And the Times Global Broadcasting Co. Ltd. – and called upon them to furnish the evidence with which Goswami made his statements, withdraw his remarks, tender an unconditional apology and pay a sum of Rs 500 crores for causing Dr Naik mental trauma and agony.
Before coming to these demands, the notice listed the number of international awards Dr Naik has received from many countries and the national/international debates he has successfully participated across the world in last 25 years. Then it rolls date wise quoting Goswami’s statements word-by-word that he made during “The Newshour Debate” telecasted live on TimesNow TV News Channel and ask for evidences for making baseless statements that were defamatory in nature.
“My client is not in a position to ascertain the actual monetary damages suffered by him for your wrongful action. However, my client for the present estimates that the damage suffered by him is estimated at an amount not less than Rs.500 crores”, the notice reads before making above demands.