PIO baba fined £250,000
London, Feb. 1: An Indian man, Baba Jeet Singh Maharaj, who heads Nirmal Kutia Johlan sect in Punjab, was on Tuesday ordered to pay £250,000 in court by way of security for costs.
Baba Jeet Singh had filed libel case against journalist, Mr Hardeep Singh, for his article published in 2007 by Sikh Times, a local newspaper, for referring to the Baba as “an accused cult leader.”
The High Court in London threw out the case in May last year, ruling that the libel case involved an argument of religious doctrine rather than establishment of fact and could not be tried in English courts.
The libel case was dismissed by Justice Sir David Eady at the Royal Courts of Justice with no right to appeal.
The baba had moved the court of appeal for permission to file case against the judgement by the High Court in May.
However, his written application of appeal was rejected by the High Court in July.
He again moved the court of appeal. The court on Tuesday ordered Baba Jeet Singh Maharaj to pay £250,000 in the court as a pre-condition to him being permitted to continue his libel action against Hardeep Singh.
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