Patna, Sep 20 (PTI) Bihar Urban Development minister Jibesh Kumar on Saturday served a legal notice to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, for making "false, malicious and defamatory" statements against him in a 'fake' medicine case and demanded an "apology" within 15 days from the receipt of the notice.
Yadav, who is also Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, on September 15 demanded action against Kumar, for allegedly abusing and assaulting a journalist for asking questions in Darbhanga district and also raked up a recent Rajasthan court order involving the minister allegedly in a case of manufacturing of spurious medicine and demanded that the "latter should sacked or asked to resign from the Nitish Kumar cabinet".
Yadav had levelled allegations against the minister at a press conference in Patna.
The legal notice sent by Kumar's advocate Bindhyachal Raí said, "False and distorted facts are being deliberately circulated, thereby misrepresenting the true nature of the case, despite the matter having been under judicial consideration in appeal...is not only an act of defamation but also amounts to contempt of court." "My client was director of a company engaged in the trade of medicines. In the year 2012, a complaint was filed by Drug Control Officer, Rajsamand (Rajasthan), before Chief Judicial Magistrate, against 16 persons, including my client... the court did not inflict any sentence against the accused persons and instead extended to them the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958, considering that they had no previous criminal record and had faced trial for over 12 years," it said.
"My clients were not sentenced ... but you (Tejashwi Yadav) on media platforms, falsely alleged that my client had sold counterfeit drugs and was convicted for theft of medicine... You posted on your social media handles...Your statement clearly intends to malign my client's public image and gain political mileage," said the advocate in his notice.
The only alleged issue pertained to the manufacturer's failure to meet certain technical dissolution parameters, which by no standard qualifies the drug as misbranded, adulterated, or spurious, it said.
"No individual has any right to shower comments upon a judicial order which has already been stayed...you are hereby called upon to tender a public apology within 15 days from the receipt of this notice failing which, my client shall be constrained to take resort to appropriate legal action, both civil and criminal (including filing of defamation and contempt proceedings) at your sole cost, risk, and consequences," said the notice. PTI PKD RG