'Public person should be thick skinned': Delhi HC to Gautam Gambhir

New Delhi: In a plea by former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir seeking a restrain on the Hindi newspaper Punjab Kesari against publishing 'defamatory' stories against him, the Delhi High Court refused to make an interim order in favour of him, The Indian Express reported.

The court commented that Gambhir is an elected person, a public servant and need not be so sensitive. Any public person should be thick-skinned, and judges also these days.

The court issued notice to the defendant newspaper on the application filed by Gambhir. Then it listed the matter to October for further hearing.

Gambhir had moved the court seeking a mandatory injunction so that the court should direct the newspaper, as well as its reports issue an unconditional apology over alleged malicious and false publications. It also sought the removal of all defamatory content from the newspaper's website and a direction restricting no such publications anymore.

Further, Gambhir also requested that since the main lawsuit is pending, the defendants needed to be directed to immediately withdraw the defamatory publication mentioned in the lawsuit.

Gambhir's counsel Jai Dehadrai cited seven articles beginning from May 2022 published by the paper. The lawyer argued that the paper targeted the cricketer, arguing that it is not a situation of fair and objective reporting but fallacious and defamatory.

The counsel wondered how two reporters could attack him in the same style, saying that Gambhir was busy with IPL (Indian Premier League) and not interested in his consistency. He added that no reporters sought Gambhir's opinion before publishing such reports.