AAP files defamation case over sting operation

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Monday filed a defamation case against India News editor-in-chief Deepak Chaurasia and two others, alleging that they conducted a fake sting operation to harm the reputation of the party.

The defamation case was filed by AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta. The case will be heard in court Nov 27, an advocate for the AAP told IANS.

According to the AAP petition, the sting operation CD was released to the media by Anuranjan Jha, CEO of Media Sarkar, and run by India News editor-in-chief Deepak Chaurasia and CEO Vinod Sharma on the news channel.

It said the trio damaged the reputation and the image of the AAP.

"Act of the accused is clearly malafide and calculated to defame the complainant in the eyes of voters of Delhi where assembly election is going to take place Dec 4," the petition said.

"Therefore, the accused have committed an offence of defamation under Section 500 (defamation) of the India Penal Code," it said.

Chaurasia said the AAP was targeting him.

"It (the footage) was run by other channels also. Why does the AAP not file cases against them?" Chaurasia told IANS.

The AAP was set up a year back with the sole object of ending corruption and the sting operation maligned the party's image, AAP claimed.

It said the Media Sarkar group came out Nov 21 with a CD of about 48 minutes containing the so-called sting operation by its reporters on seven AAP candidates and one party leader.

Although an edited version of the CD was released, it failed to show any illegal activities by AAP members, the party said.

It said the CD projects the AAP as a corrupt political party whose candidates are ready to accept donations in cash without giving a receipt, accept black money for their election campaign, sit for fake protests for money, recover property and cash stuck in disputes without going through the proper legal recourse.

"The expressions used by Media Sarkar in the edited CD for the AAP are completely defamatory in nature," the petition said.

The AAP said the CD termed the party's candidates as "rajnitik gunda" (political goons).

It said the CD also appears to be doctored in several places. The AAP tried to access the CD from Media Sarkar but the organisation did not provide it.

The refusal itself reveals that they wanted to hide something, the AAP said.

"One of the TV channels, which without verifying the veracity of the said video, is constantly carrying the said story on its channel since the time it has come out is India News," it alleged.

The party further said that on careful analysis of the entire footage, it was found that the edited footage circulated in the media deliberately hides crucial pieces of video and hence misrepresents the conversations between sting reporters and AAP candidates.