NEW DELHI, Oct 2: The Delhi High Court has recorded apologies tendered by two media defendants in a defamation case filed by former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Secretary Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, leading to their removal from the proceedings.
In CS(OS) 859/2025, Arun Kumar Mehta v. Ashok Kumar Ranchhodbhai Parmar & Ors., counsel for Dr. Mehta informed the Court that Defendant No. 3, Kashmir Life, and Defendant No. 5, Daily Headlines Today, had published apologies concerning the articles that were the subject of the suit.
Dr. Mehta, who was present in court, confirmed that he no longer wished to pursue the case against the two defendants. The Court subsequently directed that both be deleted from the array of parties through its order dated September 30, 2026.
The proceedings, however, will continue against the remaining defendants. Dr. Mehta’s counsel stated that the case would proceed against those who have chosen to contest the allegations.
According to the plaintiff’s legal team, the remaining dispute concerns allegations relating to corruption, abuse of office and other alleged wrongdoing, which Dr. Mehta maintains were published without an adequate factual basis and affected his reputation.
The defendants still contesting the case include Ashok Kumar Ranchhodbhai Parmar (Defendant No. 1), The Wire (Defendant No. 2), and The Kashmiriyat (Defendant No. 4).
The Court also considered applications filed by Defendants 1, 2 and 4 seeking condonation of delay in filing their written statements. Dr. Mehta’s counsel did not oppose the applications, noting that the statements had been filed within the permissible outer period, subject to costs.
The Court accordingly took the written statements on record and imposed costs of ₹10,000 on each of the three defendants, payable to the plaintiff within four weeks.
Dr. Mehta’s counsel further informed the Court that the plaintiff would be willing to withdraw the proceedings against the remaining defendants if they also tender apologies of a similar nature. Defendant No. 4 sought time to consider the proposal.
With two defendants removed following apologies, the proceedings will now continue against the remaining parties. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on December 15, 2026.
