Shehnai legend's family to sue scribe couple for 'defamation'

Varanasi, Oct 12 (UNI) The family of shehnai legend Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan will soon file a defamation suit against New Delhi based scribe couple Shivnath and Neena Jha, over the duo's recent utterances against the family.

Ustad Naiyyar Hussain -- the musical heir and second of the five sons of Khan Sahib -- told newspersons here today that all five sons of Khan Sahib would soon file a defamation suit against the couple, who have levelled baseless allegations against the family.

''We would soon file the defamation suit through our counsel at an appropriate court,'' he maintained.

Shivnath and Neena Jha are the authors of a monograph on Khan Sahib, released on March 25 by the late shehnai legend himself, at a function at his Sarai Harha residence here to mark his 91st birthday.

The Jha couple had recently in New Delhi alleged that one of the sons of Khan Sahib was hatching a conspiracy to transfer in his name bank balance and property held by his illustrious father, at a time when the music icon was in critical condition at the Heritage Hospital.

The couple also alleged that improper treatment was meted out by the family to Khan Sahib during his last days and even went on to raise doubts as to how the music legend died.

The 91-year-old shehnai legend died due to a massive cardiac arrest at the Heritage Hospital here on August 21.

''All the allegations levelled by the Jha couple against our family are baseless and we would soon file a defamation suit against them seeking Rs 2 crore in damages,'' Naiyyar Hussain maintained.

Hitting out against the Jha couple, Mr Hussain said ''Shivnath is the biggest fraud, a fact which was admitted by Khan Sahib, just before his death.'' The secretary of the shehnai legend S Javed alleged that Shivnath Jha, during the last few days threatened him and Hussain on phone with dire consequences, if the family tried to initiate any action over the couple's recent utterances.

Mr Hussain further charged the Jha couple with accumulating a sum worth over Rs 50 lakh through the sale of the monograph on Khan Sahib and not paying the family any part of the proceeds.

''On March 25 last, when Khan Sahib released the monograph, the Jha couple presented him 12 post dated cheques of Rs 10,000 each as a one time payment for the book. The scribe couple also promised him of gifting Rs 50,000 in cash to each of his grand children at the time of their marriage. But the first two cheques dated May 30 and June 30, 2006 were dishonoured by the bank owing to insufficiency of money in the bank account of the Jha couple,'' Mr Javed claimed, while releasing the copies of the two dishonoured cheques.

''When I raised this matter with the Jha couple during their visit to the Heritage Hospital in Varanasi, where Khan Sahib was being treated, he threatened me to keep mum and assured that the entire Rs 1,20,000 would be paid soon in cash,'' Kazim Hussain, the second last son of Khan Sahib claimed.

''We will take legal action against the couple, who have tried to disintegrate the family through irresponsible utterances,'' he added.

Mr Javed questioned about how a couple who met Khan Sahib only thrice -- on January one last, March 25 last and later at the time when the music legend was being treated at the Heritage Hospital -- can claim to know so much about the family.

About the Jha couple raising doubts over Khan Sahib's death due to cardiac arrest and the kind of treatment provided to the shehnai icon, Mr Javed said such an allegation was not against the family, but the entire district administration, which worked endlessly to provide the best possible treatment to the Bharat Ratna.

The three other sons of Khan Sahib, Mehtab, Zamin and the youngest Nazim were also present during the meeting with the newspersons.

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