BJP leader Rahim Uchil on Tuesday filed a private complaint before a magistrate court here seeking action for defamation against Minister B. Ramanath Rai for his reported statements against Yuva Brigade leader Chakravarthi Sulibele.
The II Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), after hearing preliminary submissions, posted the case to Wednesday for further arguments, Mr. Uchil told The Hindu.
In his complaint, Mr. Uchil said Mr. Rai, during a Congress convention at Asaigoli, near Mangaluru, on September 22, had used derogatory language against Mr. Sulibele. Mr. Rai had also prompted party workers to join the chorus, he alleged.
Mr. Uchil said he was closely associated with Mr. Sulibele and had participated with him in several programmes. The derogatory language, besides hurting him, was also likely to cause disturbance in society, Mr. Uchil said. Hence, he sought initiation of criminal defamation against Mr. Rai, the complainant said.
Asked why he had not approached the police at the first stage, Mr. Uchil told The Hindu that in two previous cases, the police had filed ‘B’ reports, including the one related to fatal attack on him in 2015. Though CCTV camera footage was available, the police had filed the ‘B’ report, he said.
As such, he wanted an impartial investigation into the case to be done under court directions, Mr. Uchil said.