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Jay Shah’s Defamation Case Hearing Postponed to Dec 16 As He Seeks Exemption From Appearing On Ground of Social Engagement

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This was the third adjournment in the high-profile case for which hearings are yet to start

A metropolitan court in Ahmedabad on Monday adjourned the hearing of the criminal defamation case against news portal ‘The Wire’ filed by Jay Amit Shah to December 16.

The petitioner, the son of BJP president Amit Shah, reportedly failed to turn up in the court for the first day of hearing. The adjournment came after Jay Shah, through his advocate, sought exemption from appearance in court for a day on the ground of social engagement, reported The Indian Express.

The Wire’s editors, reporters and others were present in the court for the hearing.

This was the third adjournment in the high-profile case after Shah’s lawyer senior advocate SV Raju failed to appear in court for the first hearing scheduled on October 11 as he was busy in high court. The second time, the court had earlier adjourned the hearing to October 26 as the Gujarat High Court had declared the day a holiday.

The news portal ‘The Wire’ and its editors and writer are facing defamation suit over a report, published on October 8, that claimed the turnover of Jay Shah’s firm grew exponentially – 16,000 times – after BJP came to power in 2014.

“This was the first day of the hearing and Jay Shah, the complainant in the criminal defamation against The Wire, did not show up,” the Outlook reported one of the founding editors of the portal, MK Venu as saying.

Venu said: “When the Judge asked the lawyer of Jay Shah about the absence of the complainant, his lawyer said he couldn’t come because of his social work commitments!”

“Procedurally, we were supposed to receive the documents from the other side. We will come on the 16th”, Venu told Outlook.

The metropolitan court issued summonses to the news portal and its editors after it prima facie found that a case of defamation punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both under section 500 of IPC was made out against all the seven respondents, including the writer Rohini Singh.

The order was issued after considering the depositions of three witnesses, including Jay Amit Shah, as well as documentary evidences produced by his lawyer SV Raju.

An Ahmedabad court had last month passed an order barring The Wire from publishing any further report on Jay Shah’s business turnover “so that the right to live with dignity of the plaintiff (Jay) may be protected”. Additional Senior Civil Judge B K Dasondi of Ahmedabad rural court had observed that the “injunction should be granted to applicant/plaintiff (Jay)” even though notice was not served upon the opposite parties (The Wire, its editor, the writer of the article, and others).

The order stated, “This court is of the opinion that if the application (of Jay) is not allowed, then it may lead to prejudice with the rights and interest of the applicant.”

In his order, the judge had prohibited the website from “using and publishing or printing in any electronic, print, digital or any other media, or broadcast, telecast, print and publish… in any language on the basis of article published in “The Wire” dated 8/10/17 either directly or indirectly on the subject matter with respect to plaintiff in any manner whatsoever”.

The case has generated keen interest among the people and, according to Lokniti-CSDS’ survey, despite the BJP’s attempts to defend Jay Shah and the defamation case, a substantial number of people – including nearly 50% of traditional BJP voters – think an inquiry is needed into the workings of the firm owned by Amit Shah’s son.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Parliament to take up anti-paper leak amendment bill, MSME reforms in Monsoon Session today

Parliament is set for a key legislative day as the Lok Sabha considers amendments to the anti-paper leak law and the Rajya Sabha discusses bills related to national honour and MSME reforms.

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Parliament is set for an important day of legislative business on Tuesday, with both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha scheduled to take up key bills covering public examinations, national honour and the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.

The Lok Sabha is expected to consider amendments to the law aimed at preventing unfair practices in public examinations, while the Rajya Sabha will deliberate on legislation related to national honour and reforms in the MSME framework.

Lok Sabha to consider Public Examinations Amendment Bill

Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh is scheduled to move the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

The House will begin proceedings with the Question Hour. Later, several Union ministers, including Jitin Prasada, Ram Nath Thakur, Nityanand Rai, SP Singh Baghel, BL Verma, Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Pabitra Margherita, are slated to lay papers on the table.

Rajya Sabha to discuss national honour, MSME bills

In the Rajya Sabha, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 will come up for further consideration. Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to move the bill for passage after a discussion that followed a motion introduced by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on Monday.

The Upper House will also witness the introduction of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 by Union Minister Jitan Ram Majhi.

According to the proposed legislation, the amendments seek to strengthen the mechanism for addressing delayed payments, facilitate the enforcement of arbitral awards and provide states with greater flexibility in deciding the composition of Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Councils.

NDA leaders attend ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting

Ahead of the day’s parliamentary proceedings, senior NDA leaders, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nirmala Sitharaman, arrived for the alliance’s ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting.

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Centre first offered to shift Dharmendra Pradhan from Education ministry, CJP rejected: Reports

Sources claim the Centre initially proposed shifting Dharmendra Pradhan to another ministry during talks with the CJP, but protest leaders insisted only his resignation would end the agitation.

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As protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) intensified in New Delhi over the demand for then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, the Centre initially proposed transferring him to another ministry instead of removing him from the government, according to sources.

The proposal was reportedly conveyed during negotiations between Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh and representatives of the CJP. However, the offer was rejected as the protest leaders maintained that only Pradhan’s resignation would meet their demand.

Centre proposed ministry change during first round of talks

According to sources, JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met CJP representatives Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka at Nadda’s residence on July 20. The meeting took place while police action against protesters was underway in the national capital during the Parliament march called by the group.

During the discussions, the Union ministers reportedly suggested moving Dharmendra Pradhan from the Education Ministry to another portfolio in an effort to resolve the standoff.

However, the CJP negotiators rejected the proposal, reiterating that the protest would continue unless Pradhan resigned from the Union Cabinet.

Sources also said the ministers informed the CJP that appointing or reshuffling ministers was the Prime Minister’s prerogative.

CJP maintained resignation was the only acceptable solution

According to sources, the CJP refused to consider any compromise short of Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.

The negotiators reportedly believed that accepting a ministry change instead of a resignation would trigger a backlash from the protesters participating in the movement.

Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Education Minister on Saturday, just hours before the third round of talks between the CJP and Union ministers. Following his resignation, the CJP announced that it was calling off its protest.

Rahul Gandhi also opposed a portfolio change

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had also said that merely changing Dharmendra Pradhan’s ministry would not satisfy students or the Opposition.

He had stated that Pradhan should be removed from the government, saying the former Education Minister had become “a symbol of the mess in the education system.”

Dharmendra Pradhan cited national interest in resignation note

In his resignation letter, Dharmendra Pradhan said he had stepped down to prevent what he described as anti-national forces from taking advantage of the agitation over examination paper leaks.

In a two-page resignation note posted in Hindi on social media, he said his decision was aimed at ensuring that the country’s unity remained intact and that students’ futures were not affected by legal complications, allowing them to focus on their studies and careers.

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CJP claims government assures protection for protesters after midnight meeting

CJP says the government has assured protection for protesters after a late-night meeting, with notifications expected from more BJP/NDA-ruled states while the party keeps its protest threat on hold.

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The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday claimed it received fresh assurances from government representatives following a late-night meeting, with the group saying steps would be taken to protect protesters from legal action in more BJP/NDA-ruled states.

The development came hours after the party warned it could resume its agitation, alleging that promises made during earlier negotiations on police action against protesters were not being implemented.

CJP claims fresh assurances after midnight meeting

In a post shared on X at around 1 am, CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das said government representatives met party leaders for nearly three hours and shared official notifications issued by the Bihar and Assam governments.

According to Das, the notifications guarantee the withdrawal of FIRs against protesters, the release of detainees and assurances that no future action will be taken against those who participated in the demonstrations.

He also claimed the government reaffirmed its commitment to issuing similar notifications from the Union government and other BJP/NDA-ruled states.

“Hopefully, the agreed upon language shall be used. No protester will be left alone. We are all in this together,” Das said.

CJP says discussions focused on safeguarding protesters

In a video message released after the meeting, Das said the party conveyed its concerns that previous assurances might not be fully implemented.

He said government representatives presented the Bihar Home Department’s press release stating that FIRs against protesters would be withdrawn and that no future action would be taken.

Das added that discussions also covered the possibility of other state governments issuing similar notifications to ensure protesters do not face legal proceedings.

According to him, the government assured the party that notifications addressing these concerns would be issued by Tuesday and that protesters would remain protected from future action.

He also said the CJP would continue working to ensure that every protester who participated in demonstrations across the country is protected from legal action.

Fresh protest threat put on hold for now

The latest developments came after the CJP warned on Monday that it could return to the streets if cases against protesters were not withdrawn.

The Abhijeet Dipke-led movement, which began as a satirical campaign and derived its name from an insult, ended its 37-day protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the weekend after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Education Minister, one of the group’s key demands.

Earlier on Monday, CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka alleged that despite earlier assurances, protesters continued to face police action in some parts of the country.

He claimed that students had been arrested in Bihar and West Bengal, while volunteers supporting protesters in Delhi and other states were facing surveillance or detention.

Ranka demanded the immediate withdrawal of all FIRs against protesters, the release of detained students and an assurance that no fresh FIRs would be registered. He warned that the group would resume protests if those demands were not met.

Rajasthan also covered, claims CJP

Later on Monday night, Das said the party had also received assurances regarding Rajasthan.

He claimed authorities had guaranteed that no action would be taken against protesters in the state and that no FIRs had been registered or would be registered.

Das further said the party was continuing discussions to ensure other BJP/NDA-ruled states issue notifications with language that clearly protects protesters from legal action.

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