Dalmiya sues Sunday Telegraph

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 18. International Cricket Council President, Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya on Thursday announced he had filed defamation cases against Sunday Telegraph.

According to Mr. Dalmiya, the suit was filed at the Calcutta High Court against the newspaper published from London, its editor Dominic Lawson and journalist Scyld Berry for publishing false and defamatory articles against him.

Mr. Dalmiya informed that he had demanded an apology and damages of Rs. 50 crores.

After hearing at length Mr. Dalmiya's lawyers, Messrs Siddhartha Shankar Ray and Usha Nath Banerjee, Justice Ronojit Kumar Mitra passed an ad-interim injunction restraining the journalist, the Sunday Telegraph and its editor or their servants, employees and agents from printing, publishing or circulating any news item of similar nature and directed the matter to come for hearing on June 12.

Asked whether the Calcutta High Court had the necessary jurisdiction to entertain the suit against a London newspaper, Mr. Dalmiya said that had the jurisdiction not been established the case would not have been considered at all.

Further questioned about his request to the Union Government to grant him foreign exchange for filing the suit in a London court, Mr. Dalmiya said that there had been no reply to his request. ``We found out that the suit could be filed in India also,'' he added. He clarified that the case was being filed in his personal capacity and not as the ICC President.

Mr. Dalmiya also filed two defamation suits in the Calcutta High Court against Outlook and India Today. Mr. Dalmiya claimed that the allegations made in their recent issues were false and malicious.

The ICC chief refuted charges relating to his financial dealings regarding awarding of telecast rights. ``I had the power to negotiate such dealings. What was wrong if I had negotiated?. But I did not, '' he said.

Asked why Mr. David Richards, Chief Executive, ICC, had then tried to give a different picture after the recent ICC meeting in London, Mr. Dalmiya admitted that Mr. Richards might have been over-protective.

Mr. Dalmiya also denied that he was removed from the financial committee of the ICC. ``The best proof that I was not removed from the committee is in the minutes of the meeting. The minutes can't be tampered with.''

There was no truth in most of the stories appearing in the media against him, Mr. Dalmiya claimed. ``I have not been given any opportunity to defend myself. That is the reason why I have filed these cases. It is the only way I can defend my honour.''

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Section  : Sport
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