Anand has served a legal notice seeking Rs 50 crore as damages, accusing the channel of defaming him by telecasting a sting operation relating to the BMW case.
NEW DELHI: Senior advocate R K Anand on Friday said he had served a legal notice seeking Rs 50 crore as damages from NDTV, accusing the news channel of defaming him by telecasting a sting operation relating to the sensational BMW case.
"NDTV should apologise for misrepresentation of facts. I have initiated legal action against them and the notice has been served to them for damages of Rs 50 crore," he said.
Contacted for NDTV's reaction to Anand's allegations, the channel's Managing Editor Barkha Dutt said NDTV has already handed over all unedited footage to the trial court as well as to the Delhi High Court and "we will follow the legal process in this case," she said.
Anand, who is defending the main accused Sanjeev Nanda, grandson of former Navy Chief S M Nanda and senior advocate I U Khan, now dropped as Special Public Prosecutor, were shown as purportedly trying to influence Sunil Kulkarni, a witness in the case.
Demanding apology for "misrepresentation" of facts, Anand said "I regretfully state that NDTV has put its reputation at stake by relying upon a person like Sunil Kulkarni, whose character and intentions have been doubted not just by media, courts and police but by the NDTV itself".
"No money has been paid or any attempt is made to influence any of the witness. I am made to pay the price of my background and status. This is most unfortunate and aimed at influencing the courts of law by a side and motivated trial in the media," the lawyer said.
Anand accused the channel of violating the basic principles of journalism "by transferring the powers of journalism in the hands of a person who is not only a party to the case but whose motives are entirely coloured".
Dismissing Anand's allegation, Dutt said "We have already clarified on our channel that not a single paisa has been paid to Kulkarni nor did he asked for any money, car, hotel and other expenses".
Dutt said the editorial control of the story including the scripting, presentation and the angles of discussion have been NDTV's editorial decision and not Kulkarni's.
She termed as "ridiculous" Anand's allegation that NDTV had transferred the powers of journalism to Kulkarni.
On the contrary, Kulkarni had asked NDTV not to broadcast the tapes. "We disregarded this because we were convinced that there was prima facie evidence to show that the prosecution, the defence and the witness himself may have been acting in collusion," she said.
While NDTV could not verify for the integrity of Kulkarni as a witness, it did not alter the larger "alarming" questions raised about the role of the public prosecutor and the defence lawyer, she said.
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