Media outlet ‘Dabang Dunia News Service’ has been served with a legal notice for a news article in which it claimed that Kunti from Hindu epic of Mahabharata had involved in an illegitimate affair which caused the birth of her 3 sons with Pandu.
The legal notice was issued by advocate Ashutosh Dubey alleging that the media outlet had grievously hurt the sentiments of Hindus by accusing the Hindu epic character- Kunti of committing adultery. Kunti was the mother of three of the five Pandavas, Yudhishthir, Bhim and Arjun, and Lord Krishna was her nephew. Dubey, in his notice, has alleged that the media outlet has portrayed Kunti in a bad light and accused them of spreading unrealistic and fake news.
Issued a legal notice against ‘Dabangdunia News Service’ For News Article printed regarding a Kunti had an illegitimate affair after marriage, causing the birth of 5sons which is totally unrealistic & spreading fake news of ‘MAHABHARATA’ & hurting Hindu religious sentiments. pic.twitter.com/RqIkfq13jB
— Adv. Ashutosh J Dubey (@iamashu123) June 2, 2020
Citing Mahabharata, Dainik Dabang Duniya had claimed in their article that one of the central character of Mahabharata—Kunti, had separate relationship before and after marriage. The article goes on to claim that she established a love affair with men to give birth to Yudhisthira, Bhima and Arjuna. It also adds that Nakul and Sahadeva were born when Pandu’s second wife-Madri, had established relationship with a separate man to give birth to them.
“By spreading such misinformation you are insulting the Mahabharata where nowhere such things are mentioned in the epic,” the legal notice reads.
The legal notice then goes on to mention the actual incident when Durvasha Rishi endowed Kunti with a divine mantra that had the power of bestowing Kunti with sons. According to the epic, whichever Gods Kunti desires to have a child with, she had to simply invoke God and recite the mantra. Kunti invoked Yamaraj, Vayu and Indra to give birth to Yudhisthira, Bhima and Arjuna. Kunti had invoked Sun God before marriage to check the potency of mantra and she had received Karna as her son from Sun God. Kunti taught the mantra to Madri and after its usage, Madri was awarded with two sons-Nakula and Sahadeva.
“By describing Kunti as someone who had had illicit relationships in her life, you have not only insulted Mahabharata but you have hurt the religious sentiments of crores of Hindus living in India,” the legal notice says.
Advocate Dubey has alleged that the news agency-Dainik Dabang News had committed crime under Sector 298, 295 and 295A of the Indian Penal Code for “deliberate and malicious act via newspaper about Kunti with the intention of outraging the religious feelings of Hindus. The notice further asserts that Dainik Dabang News is further liable for misleading news which gets amplified when picked up by gratuitous sections of mass media.
Besides, the advocate has also called for registering an offence against the news organisation under Section 501(b) of the Indian Penal Code for spreading false and mischievous content that results in ‘fear and alarm to public’.
‘The failure to act upon this legal notice within the stipulated time period will attract legal action under various sections of the Indian Penal Code 1860,” the petition says.
