-: [rti4empowerment] UP Noted RTI Activist Urvashi Sharma sends legal notice to Rekha Gautam, Editor Weekly Nishpaksha Divya Sandesh for defamation. [1 Attachment]

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UP Noted RTI Activist Urvashi Sharma sends legal notice to Rekha Gautam, Editor Weekly Nishpaksha Divya Sandesh for defamation.

Attn. Rekha Gautam Editor – Nishpaksha Divya Sandesh : Legal Notice
for civil and criminal defamation
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Jun 3, 2015 at 10:39 PM
To: rgautamlko@gmail.com, divyasandeshlucknow@gmail.com,
divyasandeshup@gmail.com
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To,
Rekha Gautam
Editor – Nishpaksha Divya Sandesh
A-1/30,Sanjay Gandhi Puram, Faizabad Road
Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh, India, Pin Code – 226016
Phone 0522-2355522 , Mobile 09936513738 , 09453044422
e-mail rgautamlko@gmail.com , divyasandeshlucknow@gmail.com ,
divyasandeshup@gmail.com

Sub. : Legal Notice for civil and criminal defamation

Sir/Madam,
This refers to news-website http://www.divyasandesh.com/ of your
weekly newspaper titled Nishpaksha Divya Sandesh. In your issue dated
30-05-15 on page nos. 1 and 12,you published a news titled "बंटी-बबली
की तरह हैं 'शर्मा दम्पत्ति' के कारनामें!". While quoting one Mahendra
Agrawal, your paper published undergiven news which is highly
defamatory to a reputed lady social worker like me , to a reputed
social organization like YAISHWARYAJ Seva Sansthan and to the reputed
Social events undertaken by us.

Text of news published by you is being reproduced here– "आरटीआई
एक्टिविस्ट महेन्द्र अग्रवाल ने कहा कि आरटीआई के नाम पर काफी गलत कार्य
हो रहे हैं। इसका विरोध करने पर तथाकथित आरटीआई एक्टिविस्ट संजय शर्मा और
उनकी पत्नी उर्वशी शर्मा ने उनके खिलाफ मुहिम छेड़ दी है। इसका विरोध
करने पर उनके खिलाफ हजरतगंज थाने में एफआईआर दर्ज करवाने के लिए
प्रार्थना पत्र दिया गया है। उन्होंने कहा कि यह शर्मा दम्पत्ति नेपाल
में आए भूकम्प पीडि़तों की मदद के नाम पर फेसबुक के जरिए ठगी और अवैध धन
की वसूली कर रहे हैं। शर्मा दम्पत्ति ने अपने गलत कामों को सलीके से
अंजाम देने के लिए येश्र्वयाज सेवा संस्थान, तहरीर, आरटीआई महिला मंच,
यूपीएसपीआरआई संस्थाएं बना रखी हैं। न तो ये संस्थाएं संबंधित विभागों
में पंजीकृत हैं और न ही इनके जनहित कार्यों का लेखा-जोखा है। शर्मा
दम्पत्ति ने पिछले साल येश्र्वयाज सेवा संस्थान के बैनर तले आरटीआई
सम्मेलन का आयोजन करवाया था। नामचीन आरटीआई एक्टिविस्टों और जानी-मानी
हस्तियों के नाम शुमार कर कार्यक्रम में शामिल होने का फर्जीवाड़ा किया
था। जबकि कार्यक्रम में कोई भी नामचीन आरटीआई एक्टिविस्ट और जानी-मानी
हस्तियां नहीं आए थे। लेकिन सस्ती पब्लिसिटी के लिए समाचार पत्रों में
खबर भेजी थी कि नामचीन आरटीआई एक्टिविस्ट और जानी-मानी हस्तियां
कार्यक्रम में मौजूद रहे। उन्होंने कहा कि शर्मा दम्पत्ति के कारनामें
बंटी-बबली की तरह हैं। शर्मा दम्पत्ति के अनैतिक कार्यक्रमों की जांच के
लिए 11 मई 2015 को मुख्यमंत्री अखिलेश यादव को एक शिकायती पत्र भेजकर
जांच कराए जाने की मांग की है।"

This news item published in your weekly newspaper and on news website
also is highly defamatory and offending to myself,to my organization
and also to my family. This news has been published by breaching the
recognized ethical canons of journalistic propriety and taste for some
vested interests of your newspaper.

The fundamental objective of journalism is to serve the people with
news, views, comments and information on matters of public interest in
a fair, accurate, unbiased, sober and decent manner. To this end, the
Press is expected to conduct itself in keeping with certain norms of
professionalism, universally recognized.

I am raising this case of breach of journalistic ethics by you because
a baseless paid news, with the sole aim to defame me and my
organization was published by you. You were the least bothered to
know the facts either from other newspapers and news agencies, who all
covered my activities, my organization's activities and our
prestigious seminars or from me, I being the organizer of the program.
Even my version was not taken by your newspaper on the said subject
matters of news item.

You, by this baseless & false news item, not only insulted the decades
long efforts of internationally acclaimed RTI activists but maligned
the public cause named 'RTI' also and that too for your mean & cheap
vested interests which is an offense against the gross public taste,
RTI being the most powerful tool to fight corruption.

These unlawful acts of yours are gross breach of journalistic ethics
like Accuracy and Fairness, Pre-publication Verification, Caution
against defamatory writings,Parameters of the right of the press to
comment on the acts and conduct of public,Criticism of public
figures,Right of Reply,Headings not to be sensational/provocative and
must justify the matter printed under them.

You must be aware that as per supreme court directives, editor is
responsible in civil and criminal proceeding for publication of every
defamatory article. Even from the scheme of the Press and Registration
of Books (PRB) Act, it is evident that it is the Editor who controls
the selection of matter that is published. As per the decision of
Bench of Justices C.K. Prasad and V. Gopalagowda of Apex court of
India, presumption under Section 7 of the Act is a rebuttable
presumption.The Bench said: "Section 7 of the PRB Act raises the
presumption in respect of a person who is named the Editor and printed
as such on every copy of the newspaper. The Act does not recognize any
other legal entity for raising the presumption. Even if the name of
the Chief Editor is printed, there is no presumption against him under
Section 7. So we are sending this notice to in your name as published
in your newspaper.

We, as a social organization & as a social & RTI activist are very
much transparent and honest in our functioning and so we, at the
onset, are refuting all the charges leveled against us, our prestigious
RTI Seminars, invitees of our seminars and our organization named
YAISHWARYAJ Seva Sansthaan. All the social work done by me, my
organization and the burning topics raised by our seminars and the
invitees of this seminar can be assessed on internet by the names.

Since you are in journalism so its not possible that you were not
aware of all the social causes raised by me, internationally acclaimed
invitees of our seminar and my organization but even then you have
deliberately made derogatory remarks to maliciously defame all of us.
Your acts apart from being highly defamatory ,invite criminal action
under Indian penal code also.

You are therefore required :

1. " To publish in your next issue a correction refuting all the
baseless allegations and aspersions containing defamatory content ,
made in your newspaper and on news website by you against me, our
social events and our organization."

2. "And to tender an unconditional public apology to all of us at
YAISHWARYAJ, to our satisfaction through print, electronic and social
media with regard to the said baseless allegations and aspersions and
using foul and filthy language."

3. "And to refrain from committing any such act(s) i.e. using foul and
filthy language unbecoming of civil public discourse in future."

4. "And refrain from making any false and baseless accusations which
are false to your knowledge."

"In case of failure to comply with this notice within a period of
thirty (30) days of receipt of this legal notice by e-mail, you shall render
yourselves jointly and severally liable to face appropriate civil as
well as criminal proceedings and other actions against you and your
newspaper under the relevant provisions of law at your risk as to cost
and consequences."
If dissatisfied by your reply or no reply from you, I shall raise a
formal complaint against your newspaper with Press Council of India
under Press Council Regulations, 1979 so treat this notice as a
precondition as per requirement of the Inquiry Regulations of PCI.
Screenshot of your news website is attached.

Attachment : 1 screenshot
Date : 03-05-2015
Yours Truly

Urvashi Sharma
Secretary - YAISHWARYAJ SEVA SANSTHAAN
101,Narayan Tower, Opposite F block Idgah
Rajajipuram,Lucknow-226017,Uttar Pradesh,India

Contact 9369613513

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