Mullana sends notices to CNN-IBN over Agrofed jobscam report

Chandigarh, Aug 23 (UNI) Haryana Education and Sports Minister Phool Chand Mullana has served a legal notice on CNN-IBN channel chief Rajdeep Sardesai and its reporter Sidharth Gautam for telecasting ''fraudulent news clipping'' that showed the minister was allegedly involved in the multi-crore Agrofed job scam.

In the notice sent yesterday through his Advocate Atul Aggarwal, Mr Mullana has demanded that the two mediapersons should apologise to him within three days of receiving the notice, failing which a criminal case of defamation, sedition and a civil case for loss of reputation will be filed in appropriate court against them.

According to the notice, the News Channel-7 from August 18 onwards, repeatedly showed a news clipping in which Mr Mullana's name was dragged along with some other Congress leaders in the fraud committed at Ambala Cantt by the Chairman, Agrofed without any proof.

Alleging that the ''false and fabricated'' news report had used ''intemperate and unparliamentary'' language and made derogatory allegations against Mr Mullana, the notice claimed that none of the several FIRs registered in connection with the jobscam had mentioned his, or any other Congress leader's name.

The notice also accused Mr Gautam of deleting the version of Mr Mullana who had denied the charge when contacted by the reporter on phone, from the news item with an aim to ''getting popularity and to increase the rating of the channel'' and to defame the Congress party.

The scam had rocked Ambala after it was found that Agrofed was not a Government of India undertaking as claimed by Agrofed Chairman Paramjit Singh Sandhu who has since been arrested. A large number of persons had been offered jobs by him in exchange for money.

UNI JN RP KN1828