Punjab Governor serves notice to TV channel

Punjab Governor Gen(rtd) SF Rodrigues, who is also administrator of Chandigarh, today served a defamation notice on four senior journalists of CNN-IBN TV channel for its report on him, calling it a "wholly indefensible slander".

The notice was served by Rodrigues through the senior standing counsel of Chandigarh administration Anupam Gupta following the "repeated telecast" of news against the Governor-cum-Administrator yesterday alleging "direct evidence of corruption" against him in the allotment of land to various private builders in the Rajiv Gandhi Technology Park here.

Rodrigues has in his notice sought an "immediate, express, unqualified and unambiguous apology" to Gen Rodrigues for inflicting "libel and slander" upon him. The Governor in his notice said that "in case no apology was tendered to him personally in writing by the Channel and you all as well as telecast by your Channel prominently and conspicuously, failing which immediate legal/judicial proceedings will be initiated for the criminal prosecution of the Channel and you all for the offence of Defamation."