Tytler Granted Bail in Defamation Case

Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 2:18 pm

Tytler Granted Bail in Defamation Case Senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler was on Saturday granted bail by a Delhi court for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the lawyer of the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Tytler, who was recently in the middle of a controversy over a clean chit given by the CBI in connection with a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, was asked by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ajay Panday to furnish a personal as well as a surety bond of Rs 50,000 each as pre-condition for his release on bail.

A tense-looking Tytler initially tried to avoid waiting mediapersons but on being consistently asked for his reactions over recent developments, which cost him his Lok Sabha nomination, the 65-year-old former Union Minister blamed the media for his woes.

“You (media) have already done the damage. What else you want from me,” he said tersely.

There were no protests outside the Patiala House courts here against Tytler unlike previous times when the riot cases were being heard in the Karkardooma courts.

Harvinder Singh Phoolka, a senior advocate, who has filed the case against Tytler for his alleged defamatory remarks in TV programmes in 2004, said “this is a moral victory for me as we have succeeded in making the leader appear in the court”.

Meanwhile, Tytler filed an application through his counsel R K Wadhwa seeking permanent exemption from personal appearance before the court in future proceedings saying, “he will not seek adjournment in the case and he be allowed to be represented through the advocate.”

Phoolka’s lawyer Kamna Vohra vehemently opposed Tytler’s plea and sought to file a detailed reply to the application.

“The matter has been transferred from a Ludhiana court to the capital on the request of Tytler himself. Now he cannot seek exemption from appearance,” she submitted.

The court, which allowed Tytler not to appear till his plea seeking permanent exemption was decided, posted the matter for 23rd May for arguments on his application.

Tytler, against whom the Ludhiana court had issued summons and later warrant, had approached the Supreme Court for transfer of the case to a court in the capital saying he feared for his life in Punjab.

The plea was not opposed by complainant Phoolka, leading to the transfer of the case in New Delhi.

Phoolka and Tytler were co-participants in the news programmes telecast on 7th September, 2004 on a private news channels.

The TV programmes were based on the questions as to why the guilty of Delhi and Gujarat riots were not punished.

However, Tytler, during the discussions, had made “imputations” against the Sikh lawyer raising questions on his integrity, the complainant alleged, adding it amounted to defamation as prescribed under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code.

Scores of Tytler’s supporters, who were present outside the court during the proceedings, expressed their unhappiness over the recent media coverage against their leader.

Tytler Granted Bail in Defamation Case

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