Court grants bail to Jairam Ramesh in defamation case by NSA Ajit Doval’s son

New Delhi, May 09: A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in connection with a defamation case filed by NSA Ajit Doval's son Vivek.

The court also framed charges against Ramesh and the other two accused in the case after they pleaded not guilty.

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court granted bail to Jairam Ramesh on personal bond and surety of Rs 20,000 each in criminal defamation case against him and Caravan magazine by Vivek Doval. The next date of hearing is 27 May.

The court last month exempted Ramesh from personally appearing before it but asked him to be present today. It had earlier granted bail to the Editor-in-Chief of The Caravan and a reporter from the same magazine.

The Caravan had alleged in its article that Vivek Doval, "runs a hedge fund in the Cayman Islands" which is "an established tax haven". On January 30, Vivek had recorded his statement before the court, saying all the allegations levelled by the magazine and later repeated by Ramesh at a press conference were "baseless" and "false" and damaged his reputation in the eyes of family members and colleagues.