The Delhi high court said on Monday that neither Union minister Smriti Irani nor her 18-year-old daughter Zoish are the owners of the restaurant in Goa, while accusing Congress leaders including Pawan Khera for launching a tirade of false scathing and belligerent personal attacks on Smriti and Zoish.
On July 23, the Congress had alleged that an illegal bar was being run by Zoish Irani in Goa. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera had that there were serious charges of corruption against Irani's family and her daughter was allegedly running a restaurant in Goa, in which a bar was functioning on a fake licence.
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The Congress demanded that Smriti Irani should be sacked from the Narendra Modi cabinet.
Hitting back, Irani rejected the Congress' allegation and said that her daughter was being targeted.
Irani had even filed a ₹2 crore defamation suit against Pawan Khera and Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Netta D'souza for allegedly making baseless and false accusations against her and Zoish Irani.
On Monday, the Delhi high court, while perusing the documents placed before it in the defamation suit filed by Irani, said the statements made by the three Congress leaders were in nature of slander and seemed to be bogus with malicious intent, " to intentionally subject Irani to a "great public ridicule” and "to injure the moral character and public image" of the Union minister and her daughter, ANI reported.
{{/usCountry}}On Monday, the Delhi high court, while perusing the documents placed before it in the defamation suit filed by Irani, said the statements made by the three Congress leaders were in nature of slander and seemed to be bogus with malicious intent, " to intentionally subject Irani to a "great public ridicule” and "to injure the moral character and public image" of the Union minister and her daughter, ANI reported.
{{/usCountry}}The court uploaded the order on its website on Monday.
“I have perused the various documents on record, particularly, the show cause notice dated July 21, 2022, issued by the Government of Goa, office of Commissioner of Excise, which has been addressed to one Anthony Dgama, and not to the plaintiff (Irani) or her family members," according to the order.
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“Considering the documents on record it is clearly seen that there was no license which was ever issued in favour of the plaintiff or her daughter. The plaintiff or her daughter are not the owners of the restaurant. It has also been established by the plaintiff prima facie that the plaintiff or her daughter never applied for license," the order said.
"Neither the restaurant nor the land on which the restaurant exists is owned by the plaintiff or her daughter even the show cause notice issued by the Government of Goa is not in the name of the plaintiff or her daughter. All these facts have also been affirmed in the affidavit by the plaintiff,” it added.
The high court also pointed out on Monday that there is an imperative need to protect the reputation of an individual, least to say, that of the plaintiff who is a respected member of the society and esteemed member of the Union ministry.
The matter has now been listed for further hearing before the court.
(With agency inputs)