Meghalaya: Govt files criminal defamation case against TMC's Saket Gokhale

Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], December 10 : The Meghalaya government has filed a criminal defamation suit against Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale for his alleged claim that a state-owned tourism firm misappropriated funds worth over Rs 630 crore, officials in the state government said on Saturday.
The suit filed by the government of Meghalaya and Meghalayan Age Limited (MAL) termed Gokhale's claims 'deliberate, derogatory and malicious'.
Gokhale had issued a press statement on December 4, alleging that MAL had misappropriated over Rs 630 crore in the state.
The Planning Department, in a statement, said the Meghalayan Age Limited (MAL) has filed a criminal defamation suit against Gokhale.
"The Meghalayan Age Limited has filed the complaint and sought remedies in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya under Section 200 read with section 190 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, seeking prosecution of the accused Mr. Saket Gokhale for the offence of criminal defamation under section 499, punishable under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, for making false and defamatory statements in the print/electronic media," the statement read.
Further, as per the petition, the statements made by the accused also constitute an offence of public mischief.
"MAL, a state government-owned firm constituted under the Planning Department, has been incorporated under relevant laws with its mandate to implement externally-aided projects, promote tourism and preserve the heritage of Meghalaya," the statement said.
The statement said Gokhale was a 'habitual offender', adding that the person has 'little regard' for the process of law and has a "history of making false and baseless allegations" against public personalities and government officials.
"Gokhale should have carried out preliminary due diligence and sought clarifications from the person against whom the allegations were made," the statement added, noting that the Delhi High Court had in 2021 made strong observations against him in the light of alleged defamatory claims against civil servants.
"A basic attempt to seek clarification from the Meghalayan Age Limited would have shown that the allegations are baseless (and) without any merit," the statement read.
The state government is also considering filing a civil defamation suit against the individual concerned and other entities for making "completely false, frivolous, unjustifiable and scandalous allegations".
"This would seriously affect the developmental strategy of the state which is to raise additional investments through externally aided projects for the creation of jobs and the promotion of economic opportunities in the state," the statement read.