Chamling demands apology from CNN-IBN for corruption charges

Gangtok, Apr 14 (UNI) Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has served a legal notice to CNN-IBN in response to corruption charges levelled against him by the private news channel.

On April 9 evening, the channel had aired and simultaneously updated in its website (www.ibnlive. com) a news report portraying Mr Chamling as a corrupt Chief Minister based on the investigations carried out by its special investigation team.

Taking strong exception to the special report, Mr Chamling served the legal notice to the channel demanding a public apology within 48 hours of receipt of the notice. The notice has been sent to the channel by a registered courier yesterday by an advocate on behalf of the Chief Minister.

The channel was directed to issue the apology in special broadcast that should continue for the next three days.

If the channel fails to issue the apology, then the Chief Minister will file a defamation suit in competent court seeking unspecified damages, said K.T.Gyalsten, political advisor to the Chief Minister. Addressing a press meet, the political advisor rubbished the corruption allegations and termed it as a malafide intention to tarnish the image of Mr Chamling in the state and the nation by the channel. The allegations were one-sided, baseless and fabricated by the channel which did not bother to seek the Chief Minister's side of the story, he said.

All the allegation raised by the news item regarding huge property and corruption have been countered by Mr Chamling in his detailed legal notice served to the news channel.

Mr Gyalsten further accused the opposition parties in the state of being behind the operation in their attempt to gain political mileage by using media. He warned that such one-sided and deliberate attempt to earn sensationalism may threaten the peaceful but sensitive border state of Sikkim.

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