Thiruvananthapuram: Petitioners in the Sabarimala case have sent a legal notice to Malayalam media house Insight Media City for allegedly spreading false rumours about them and their family members and maligning their reputation. Insight Media City runs ‘Flowers’ channel and the website, 24 News. The four petitioners are Bhakti Pasrija Sethi, Prerna Kumari, Dr Laxmi Shastri and Sudha Pal.
Bar & Bench in its report says Bhakti Pasrija Sethi and Prerna Kumari have clarified that the petition had nothing to do with the Muslim president of Indian Young Lawyers Associat-ion, the lead petitioner.
The report recalls various Malayalam media outlets had reported that the petitioners were proxy for BJP/RSS to further a political agenda. Affiliations of relatives of petitioners to rightwing organisations were also cited.
The notice states the petitioners are practising lawyers and former members of the executive committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association. They have been contesting issues of social welfare and reforms and are currently office-bearers of the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association.
They filed the PIL on Sabarimala in 2006, while the BJP government came to power only in 2014.
The notice addresses two specific allegations – one about the husband of Prerna Kumari and the other about the father of Bhakti Pasrija Sethi.
Siddharth Shambhu, who is the husband of Prerna Kumari, is in no way connected to the Sabarimala petition, the notice states.
Regarding Shyam Sunder Pasrija, the father of Bhakti Pasrija Sethi, the notice alleges that the media house “uttered sheer falsehood” about him by claiming that he is associated with BJP/ RSS when he has been a socialist throu-ghout his life.
“Shyam Sunder Pasrija is a highly respected person and been a socialist throughout his life. He is a man of principles and it is a stigma for him to relate to BJP/RSS.”
Regarding Dr. Laxmi Shastri and Sudha Pal, the notice states that they have “nothing to do with any political party while filing the petition”.
“Dr. Laxmi Shastri has been a member of the central committee of All India Forward Bloc and also vice-president of the All India Agragami Mahila Samiti. No political party tried to influence the four petitioners before or after filing the petition.”
The notice asks Radhakrishnan to tender an unconditional apology to the four petitioners and to place the correct facts on the website and news channel within seven days.
