A Thiruvananthapuram court has issued an arrest warrant against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in connection with a case filed against him for allegedly defaming Hindu women in a book published in 1989.
The complainant has alleged that a section of Mr Tharoor's book, The Great Indian Novel, is defamatory to 'Nair' women, reported NDTV. The arrest warrant was issued by Thiruvananthapuram Chief Judicial First Class Magistrate after Tharoor failed to present himself at the court.
The Great Indian Novel is a satire which represents the story of Indian epic ‘Mahabharata’ in context of the independence movement.
In a statement to NDTV, Shashi Tharoor’s office said, “Our lawyer had already brought it to the notice of the court that the date was not specified (in the summons). Acknowledging our side, the court had said that they would issue fresh summons with the date.”
The statement said that they will be moving the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Thiruvananthapuram to appeal against the warrant.
“There seems to be some confusion. Today was the first day of hearing but we had not received any summons,” the statement said.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)