Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has sent a legal notice to the Law & Justice and Information Technology Minister of India, Ravi Shankar Prasad, for an allegedly defamatory tweet.
My legal notice to @rsprasad about his false, malicious & defamatory statements against me, which he has still not retracted. When India’s Law Minister falsely invents a murder case against a political opponent, what hope for justice & democracy? https://t.co/yB3CDWvcrG
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 31, 2018
In the concerned tweet, it was claimed by the Minister that Shashi Tharoor is an accused in a murder case.
Shashi Tharoor who is accused in a murder case has attempted to disrespect Lord Shiva.
I seek a reply from Rahul Gandhi who claims himself to be a Bhakt of Lord Shiva on this horrific denunciation of Hindu gods by a Congress MP.
Rahul Gandhi must apologize to all Hindus. pic.twitter.com/QeShJoCHDZ
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) October 28, 2018
In the legal notice addressed to the Minister by Tharoor’s lawyer, it is stated, “You have purposefully lied to the public with the culpable malicious intention to defame Dr. Shashi Tharoor and thereby spread an untrue, false and scandalous imputation against Dr. Shashi Tharoor that he in accused in a case of “murder” and that he has been charge-sheeted for the offense of “murder”.”
It is further stated, “The scandalous and false and defamatory statements you have published against Dr. Shashi Tharoor are explicitly intended to harm the reputation of Dr. Shashi Tharoor and to malign him before the public by intentionally giving your false and untrue statements the colour of your Office. It is evident that the impugned post/tweet and the contents are solely intended to malign and tarnish the reputation of Dr. Tharoor.”
Tharoor has demanded through his lawyer that the post/tweet be removed from social media and the minister should tender an unconditional and written apology within 48 hours of the receipt of the notice. He has also asserted that the minister has committed the crime of defamation and is liable to be prosecuted in the court of law.
Earlier this year, the Congress leader and former minister of state Shashi Tharoor was charged under sections 498A and 306 in the case pertaining to the death of his wife under mysterious circumstances. Section 498A involves charges for the husband or his family members subjecting a wife to cruelty and Section 306 of the IPC covers abetment to suicide.
