Delhi: Jagdish Tytler withdraws plea in defamation case

New Delhi, July 12: Former Union minister and Congress leader Jagdish Tytler has withdrawn his petition on Thursday. He had challenged summons against him in defamation case pending before lower court filed by HS Phoolka. Proceedings will continue before Magistrate on 16th, 17th and 18 July.

The trial court had framed charges against Tytler in the case on March 2, 2015 saying he had prime facie defamed senior advocate H S Phoolka, the complainant in the matter, by allegedly making imputations to harm his reputation.

Earlier, the trial court had issued notice to Tytler under provision of CrPC, after prima facie finding him guilty of defaming the senior advocate under section 499 of IPC punishable under section 500 of IPC. Tytler had pleaded not guilty and had claimed trial after which the court is at the stage of recording of evidences.

Earlier, the Congress leader had argued in the trial court that there was no legally admissible evidence to frame charge against him in the defamation complaint.

Phoolka, who had earlier refused to accept Tytler's offer of 'unconditional apology', had countered his submissions contending that the complaint, statement of the complainant and other witnesses corroborating it, were enough to frame charges against him.

In 2006, Aam Aadmi Party leader and 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims' lawyer H.S. Phoolka Phoolka had alleged that Tytler had levelled 'false and derogatory' allegations against him to harm his reputation in the society during a TV debate aired in September 2004.

The complaint against Tytler was initially filed in a Ludhiana court in Punjab.

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