A Delhi court on Thursday took cognisance of Zee News editor Sudhir Chaudhary’s criminal defamation complaint against Congress member of Parliament Naveen Jindal and 16 officials of his firm Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL). “The cognisance of offence under Section 499 (defamation) read with Section 34 (common intention) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) is taken... Keeping in view the law laid down in the provisions of CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) and the judgement of the Delhi High Court, the examination of complainant and his witnesses is being proceeded with.

“Put up for examination of complainant and his witnesses on oath for January 7,” metropolitan magistrate Jay Thareja said.

Zee Business editor Samir Ahluwalia too filed a defamation complaint against Jindal on Thursday, but in a different court which will decide on January 9 whether to take cognisance of his plea.

Chaudhary, who was granted exemption from personal appearance for Thursday, has alleged in his complaint that Jindal and JSPL officials had made “deliberately false” statements against him with the intention to tarnish his image.

He has said in his complaint that defamatory statements were made in an FIR lodged against him in the alleged R100 crore-extortion bid case at a news conference held here.

Chaudhary and Ahluwalia were arrested on November 27, 2012 on a complaint by Jindal’s firm that they had demanded R100 crore as an advertising deal for not airing “negative” news reports against the firm in connection with the coal block allocation scandal.

Both were granted bail on December 17, 2012, by the court.

They have been booked under Sections 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the IPC.