SM Krishna serves legal notice on PTI

Foreign minister S M Krishna on Friday served a legal notice on Press Trust of India (PTI) for reporting that he appeared to be absent minded when called upon to make a statement by Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar.

Foreign minister S M Krishna on Friday served a legal notice on Press Trust of India (PTI) for reporting that he appeared to be absent minded when called upon to make a statement by Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar.

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PTI had reported that when the speaker called Krishna to make statement on Thursday, he was not in his seat and was engaged in a conversation with some members.

The report said that as agriculture minister Sharad Pawar drew his attention to the speaker's direction, Krishna failed to immediately find a copy of the statement. Lok Sabha staff had then provided him with a copy.

An official of his ministry called PTI to state that Krishna, who was handling questions in Rajya Sabha, had handed over certain papers to his deputy Preneet Kaur which were meant for his statement in Lok Sabha. When asked to make the statement, he had to get the papers from her. This clarification was added to the original report.

However, he demanded a public apology "along with an advertisement".

This is perhaps the first time that any minister has threatened a news organisation with criminal and civil action for reporting proceedings of Parliament despite the Parliamentary Proceedings (Protection of Publication) Act.

The Act states that no person shall be liable for any proceedings...in respect of publication of a substantially true report of parliament proceedings.