Vivek Doval defamation case: ACMM reserves order on summoning accused

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) at Patiala House Court today reserved its order on summoning the accused persons in the defamation case filed by Vivek Doval against The Caravan and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh..The order will be pronounced by Judge Samar Vishal on March 2..Doval had filed the defamation suit after The Caravan published an article titled The D Companies, which alleged that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s sons run a web of companies, including a Cayman Islands hedge fund, even as their father demands a crackdown on tax havens. The case also arrays the author of the article, Kaushal Shroff as an accused..Arguing for Vivek Doval, Advocate DP Singh said that the article had “no innendeo”, but “direct insinuation”. He further said that the article has damaged Doval’s professional career and reputation as a hedge fund manager..“My loss cannot be put into monetary terms. It is huge and enormous…they should be punished.”.Singh also objected to the suggestion that Doval’s father, NSA Ajit Doval, was involved in the running of the hedge fund..“My father has been a celebrated police officer…it goes to show that it is not simply an exercise…but it is an effort to target a person who has no link with any of the company or the running of it or any beneficial position.”.Referring to the press conference held by Jairam Ramesh in the aftermath of the article, Singh argued that it was an act of malice..“The press conference did not stop there…they went and uploaded the press conference for the people who were not there and for the world to see. No stone were unturned and they even uploaded the transcript.”.Earlier, Doval’s business partner Amit Sharma had come to his rescue and deposed that the allegations of money laundering levelled against their hedge fund GNY Asia Fund, were false and mala fide..Sharma had clarified that neither Vivek’s brother nor his father had any business relation to the Fund..Judge Samar Vishal had taken cognizance of Doval’s criminal defamation complaint against The Caravan, Jairam Ramesh and author of the article Kaushal Shroff on January 22..In his statement before the Court, Vivek Doval claimed that the purpose behind the article and the press conference led by Ramesh was to run a “malicious campaign” against the Doval family.