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Chandigarh Club president moves court against members’ defamatory claims
The petitioners appealed to the court that the defendants be restrained from circulating and publishing defamatory, false, unverified and unauthenticated statements on their social media accounts and newspapers, as this had caused immense damage to their reputation
The matter of Chandigarh Club elections, falling on November 16, has reached court.
The current president of the club, Sandeep Sahni, and a candidate for the president post, Sunil Khanna, have filed a civil suit against club members Kanwaljit Singh Walia and Navneet Modi, and also Google India, seeking court’s intervention to restrain them from making any defamatory statements regarding the elections.
The petitioners appealed to the court that the defendants be restrained from circulating and publishing defamatory, false, unverified and unauthenticated statements on their social media accounts and newspapers, as this had caused immense damage to their reputation.
The court of civil judge senior division has sought a reply from the defendants on November 11, the next date of hearing.
“The defendants are hereby restrained from such false, defamatory statements on social media till further orders. Let a notice be further served to them to file a reply,” said the court.
On October 25, some club members had given a representation to the UT adviser, levelling corruption allegations against the present governing body, and demanding a thorough investigation and fair elections.
In the letter, club members called for transparency in the elections, being held for the first time in eight years.
Navneet Modi, a club member, had alleged that there was widespread corruption and mismanagement within the club, particularly involving the secretary and other staff members. He had alleged that financial embezzlement, impersonation of club members and fraudulent transactions were taking place using club funds, suggesting a potential trail of money laundering.
Kawaljit Singh Walia, another club member, had accused club president Sandeep Sahni and his associates of financial mismanagement, tax evasion, and alleged misuse of members’ funds to resolve personal financial problems.
Club president Sandeep Sahni had refuted the allegations, stating that an audit was conducted and notices were issued to members with unpaid dues, who will not receive no-dues certificates and will not be allowed to vote.
Dismissing Walia’s allegations as frivolous, he had said they were in retaliation for a notice to vacate the club’s premises due to Walia’s catering service there.
Established in 1957, Chandigarh Club, the city’s oldest social spot in upscale Sector 1, has around 7,200 members, including advocates, businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians.
