Tytler appears in court in defamation case

New Delhi, May 31 (IANS) Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on Saturday appeared in a court here in connection with a defamation case filed against him by senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, who is appearing for victims in a case of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Tytler appeared before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gaurav Rao.

Phoolka had filed the defamation case alleging that the Congress leader made a derogatory remark about him in a news programme aired on a private news channel on Sep 7, 2004.

Phoolka, who lost the Lok Sabha polls while contesting on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket from Ludhiana, said in his complaint filed in 2006 that Tytler had levelled false and derogatory allegations against him to harm his reputation.

Meanwhile, the court also reserved its order for July 2 on whether the charge of criminal intimidation be added against Tytler in the defamation complaint. The court also asked Tytler to appear before it again on this date.

During the hearing, the court wanted to know whether Phoolka wants an out-of-court settlement or public apology, but the advocate ruled it out, saying serious allegations were levelled against him by Tytler.

"Tytler being a cabinet minister at that time threatened me. It is a matter of immense public importance and hence no question of acceptance of public apology or withdrawal of the case," Phoolka told the court.

The case against Tytler was filed in a Ludhiana court but later transferred to Delhi on the Supreme Court’s direction.