Barkha Dutt demands Rs 74 lakh plus interest from Kapil Sibal backed Tiranga TV for terminating her contract early

Kapil Sibal(right) and Promila Sibal (Source:timesofindia.com)

Controversial journalist Barkha Dutt has demanded Rs 74 lakh in damages from senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, his wife Promila Sibal, promoters of Tiranga TV, reports, ThePrint.

The Patiala House court on September 27 issued summons against the Sibals after Tiranga TV had suddenly shut shop in July this year.

https://twitter.com/raghav355/status/1177522567835291649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Taking to Twitter, lawyer Raghav Awasthi expressed his jubilation for getting summons issued against the Tiranga TV promoters-Kapil Sibal and Promila Sibal for his client.

https://twitter.com/BDUTT/status/1177555646461308928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Responding to her lawyer’s tweet, Barkha Dutt had said that “it really is about the principle and not surrendering to intimidation of media”. She added that now it is over the courts.

Earlier, controversial journalist Barkha Dutt had posted on Twitter about the arbitrary sackings of Tiranga TV employees without due compensation and advance notice. In a series of tweets Barkha Dutt had alleged that journalists working at Tiranga TV were abruptly sacked, without any prior notice and they were not offered 6-months severance payout. She also alleged that senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal and his wife-Promila Sibal had referred to the female employees of their channel Tiranga TV as Kutiya or Bitch.

Barkha Dutt, who had joined the Tiranga TV at its launch, had also alleged that she and other senior employees of the channel were not paid her salaries for over a year. The had said that Kapil Sibal had threatened her of defamation suit for likening him to Mallya. She had compared him with the fugitive liquor baron for not paying due compensation to fired employees and going to London.

Dutt also filed a complaint with National Commission of Women against the Tiranga TV promoters for using abusive expletives against the female employees of the channel.

According to Kapil Sibal, Barkha Dutt was sacked from the channel on ‘disciplinary grounds’ two days ahead of her tweets against the channel.

The next date for hearing is set for 9th January.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia