‘CM wife’s suit of defamation censors oppn’

Panaji: The AAP member of the Rajya Sabha from Delhi, Sanjay Singh, on Friday told a Ponda court that the defamation suit of the wife of the Goa CM, Sulakshana Sawant, was strategically filed against him to censor, intimidate, and silence him. Singh made the submission in connection with a Rs 100 crore defamation case filed by Sulakshana.
He submitted to the Ponda court through his advocate Surel Tilve that the comments he had made were on a matter of public interest. He said his comments relied on a statement made by Satya Pal Malik, the Goa governor at the time, which made the source of information credible and reliable.
Singh said he is a respected Rajya Sabha member and made the statement in good faith. Since Sulakshana is a public figure, scrutiny and criticism are legitimate in a democracy, he submitted to the court.
He said allegations of corruption fall within the ambit of political discourse, which is constitutionally protected. The defamation suit is against the basic principles of freedom of speech and expression enshrined in the Constitution, he submitted to the court. He added that the claim of Rs 100 crore in damages is speculative and intends to financially burden him and suppress the political opposition. Singh contended that the suit abuses the legal process for political vendetta and should be dismissed.