Mumbai: Producer Sandip Ssingh has sent a defamation notice claiming Rs. 200 crores in damages from Republic TV and its editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami for airing false and defamatory content against him during their coverage of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
The notice sent through his advocate said the sole motive for airing the malicious content was to extort money and grab TRP. Ssingh was informed by one of the channel’s correspondents, it said, that unless he considers to financially benefit Republic TV, Arnab would keep airing such news items.
In the notice Ssingh posted on his social media account, his advocate said he is a reputed producer and filmmaker in Bollywood and the channel ran defamatory news to extort money from him, despite knowing that he and Rajput were known to each other from the days of their struggle.
Ssingh received many messages from Republic’s correspondents with the intent to extort, it stated. The channel through its shows publicly demanded his arrest and he was termed a ‘key conspirator’ and ‘murderer’ in Rajput’s “murder” case.
Mentioning dates, the notice said the channel had aired interviews with certain people who linked him with Disha Salian’s suicide and made various other claims – of him directing the ambulance after Rajput’s death, taking charge of the funeral.
The channel and Goswami termed him a “crucial link” in the late actor’s “murder” case and that Singh was using Rajput’s death for “political gain”, it said.
From 22 Aug to 24 Aug, Republic TV’s correspondents tried to enter Singh’s residence and harassed everyone from his building, from security guards to domestic help, the notice added.
Republic TV on 6 September showed someone coming out of the CBI office while hiding his face and said it is Ssingh, it said further.
The notice asked the channel and Goswami to remove such footage and articles and release an unconditional apology in written or video form and claimed Rs. 200 crores in damages for maligning Ssingh’s image in public. It has given 15 days time for them to do so or has warned going through the legal course.
