Nupur Mehta to send legal notice to British daily
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Little-known Bollywood actress Nupur Mehta has decided to send a legal notice to 'The Sunday Times' for accusing her of being involved in match-fixing and has also kept open the possibility of filing for civil and criminal defamation against the British daily.
"We will be sending a legal notice to the newspaper, and see what kind of response we get. We will then be moving ahead and filing for civil and criminal defamation within a fortnight," said Mehta's lawyer, Gaurang Kanth.
She hit the headlines when her name surfaced in the match-fixing allegations.
Mehta, who has appeared in two films in Bollywood, said a picture used by the paper for the fixing story, of a skimpily-clad woman with her faced blurred, was of her.
Even as Sri Lanka Cricket 'condemned' it, Mehta stood by her statement that she had gone out with Tillakaratne Dilshan during the 2009 T20 World Cup in England.
"I rubbish all the statements of Sri Lankan board and Dilshan. The 'Sunday Times' had also written that I was seen out with Dilshan."
"I never lied against Dilshan. 'Sunday Times' made a point that I was dating him, so I had to clarify. Otherwise, I believe in no-name policy."
While saying that she was 'clueless' about match-fixing in cricket, Mehta refused to comment when asked if she was in touch with any Indian cricketer, she shot back,"Please don't drag the Indian cricketers into it. I have nothing to say on this," she said.
Mehta also refused to term the entire episode a publicity stunt.
"It's not really a publicity stunt, it's such a serious matter. We are bold and confident people but that does not mean we are emotionless."
"Have you ever realised the kind of trauma I had been going through? I have been getting calls from all over the world, including friends from cricket playing nations like Australia, New Zealand and Canada. So many friends have boycotted me. I am not going to sit back quietly."
Kanth was confident that they would be able to "base my defamation on the morphed picture."
"These are strong allegations against my client and they are not true. It has caused a lot of anguish to my client and his family members. People could easily identify the picture and she was left with no option. These serious allegations and can lead to many complications. We are fortunate enough that the various investigative agencies have not sent her a note."
"We want to put our case very strongly against the newspaper for publishing the article without taking her version."
Asked about a story that has appeared in an Indian newspaper, which alleged that her parents have refused to acknowledge Nupur as their daughter in view of the recent events, the actress and lawyer said they are considering legal action.
About the reported offers from Tinsel Town, Mehta said, "I have been getting a lot of offers from Bollywood as well as reality shows. But I will decide only after I am done with case."
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