Tejashwi Yadav sues JD(U) leader for defamation, seeks Rs 12.10 crore in damages

Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday slapped a legal notice on JD(U) MLC and spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, accusing him of defamation and seeking Rs 12.10 crore in damages besides "unconditional public apology".

The copy of the eight-page-long notice, drafted by a Delhi-based law firm hired by the former Bihar deputy chief minister, has been shared by the RJD on social media.

Yadav, who is currently the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, has taken exception to allegations made by the JD(U) leader at a press conference he addressed on October 21.

At the press conference, Kumar had accused Yadav of having under-reported his income and called it a "salary ghotala".

In the notice, the allegations have been called "frivolous" and aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Yadav who was a "rising star of Indian politics" and enjoyed "a substantial following across various social media platforms".

The JD(U) leader has also been accused of having made remarks about Yadav's father and RJD president Lalu Prasad, which were "not only grossly defamatory but also deeply offensive".

Kumar has asked to pay Rs 12 crore in damages, besides a sum of Rs 10 lakh towards the cost of the notice, in addition to issuing an unconditional public apology "within 10 days" of receipt of the same failing which legal proceedings would be initiated against him before an appropriate court under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyay Samhita.