BJP president Nitin Gadkari has served a legal notice to Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari asking him to apologise for making defamatory charges against him in the Adarsh Society Housing scam.
"I hereby call upon you to tender an unconditional apology within 72 hours of receiving this notice in every Electronic and Print Media you have reviled my client," the legal notice served by advocate Bhupender Yadav on behalf of Gadkari states.
"If you fail to do so, my client will initiate proceedings against you both for criminal defamation punishable under section 500 IPC (simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both) and for the tort of libel and for damages for loss of reputation and exemplary damages, at your sole risk as to costs and consequences," the notice said.
The legal notice was served yesterday evening and its copies were released to the media on Saturday. Tewari had alleged that Ajay Sancheti, an associate of Gadkari and a member of BJP National Executive, has a 'benami' (by proxy) flat in Adarsh Housing Society in the name of his driver.
The notice also clarifies that Mr Gadkari has no direct or indirect connection with any flat in Adarsh society. "The imputations made by you against my client are false, baseless, malicious and malafide. Your statement is intended to lower the reputation of my client," Yadav states in the notice.