LONDON: Ajitabh Bachchan brother of Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan has won a libel suit in the England high court against the India. Aboard News Service (IANS) for publishing a report linking him with the controversial Bofors gun deal.
The jury made a total award of 80000 pounds against the IANS and further ordered the news organization to pay Bachchan’s legal cost and also to bear their own costs of the proceedings including the trial.
The court also rejected the plea of the counsel for IANS for stay of execution of the judgment pending appeal.
Ajitabh had filed a libel suit against the IANS for publishing a report alleging that the Swiss authorities had frozen an account belonging to Ajitabh which contained the receipts of the alleged kickbacks in the 1.3 billion dollar deal for the purchase of Howitzer Field guns from A B Bofors of Sweden
He had also sued the Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” which had carried the news on January 30, 1990 But the Swedish newspaper apologized before the English high court on July 19, 1990 and agreed to publish a retraction.
The trial lasted for six days and those who gave evidence included Amitabh Bachchan. The defence witnesses included Rahul Bedi a former correspondent of [ANS and Gopal Raju editor-proprietor of the news organization.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 31, 1991
