Court to hear defamation suit against Narendra Modi this month

A local court has fixed November 19 for the hearing of a review petition against the rejection of a defamation case against Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

Modi had allegedly made derogatory remarks against late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in a public meeting of BJP at Gandhinagar on June 5 following which a state Congress member filed a defamation suit against him.

State Youth Congress secretary Charmesh Sharma had filed a defamation suit against Modi at the chief judicial magistrate court alleging that Modi's comments against Nehru were disparaging and he and other admirers of Nehru were "deeply hurt and pained" by them.

Sharma had enclosed a video recording of the television telecast in which Modi allegedly refers to Nehru as having "done nothing for children".

The CJM court had rejected the defamation suit on the grounds of jurisdiction after which petitioner Sharma filed a review petition at the district court challenging the rejection of the defamation suit.

Subsequently, the district court had sent the petition to the upper district and sessions court.