Jamaat-e-Islami Kerala sends notice to former BJP leader over defamatory claims
Trivandrum: The Kerala chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has issued a legal notice to former BJP state president K. Surendran, Manorama News editor Johny Lukose, the channel’s parent company, and reporter MR Harikumar, stating that they made defamatory and false statements linking the organisation to the Red Fort bomb blast.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the notice, sent through Advocate Ameen Hassan K on behalf of JIH Kerala Secretary Shihab Pookottur, said that Surendran and Manorama News made the claims during a programme at a Manorama News event held at Subhash Park, Kochi.
The notice states that Surendran falsely linked Jamaat-e-Islami Hind to extremist activities and the Red Fort blast, describing the statements as “baseless, malicious, and intended to damage the reputation and goodwill of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, its leaders, and members.”
Advocate Ameen Hassan said, “You were attempting to spread false narratives about my client with the deliberate intention of creating a communal divide for your political gain ahead of the upcoming Local Body Elections. Your aim is to secure votes by spreading Islamophobia, portraying a Muslim organisation as anti-national and dangerous, and thereby polarising Hindu and Christian communities.” “This is a clear attempt to manufacture tension and communal disharmony in society for political benefit,” he said.
The notice further stated that the broadcast, which was widely circulated on television, YouTube, and Facebook, has caused “huge mental agony, loss of reputation, and harm to goodwill” among members, supporters, and the general public.
JIH’s legal notice holds all parties named—Surendran, Manorama News editor, the channel’s parent company, and reporter—liable for civil and criminal consequences. It demands an unconditional apology, immediate withdrawal of the statements, and damages of INR 1 crore, stating that while the reputational harm cannot be fully measured in monetary terms, the sum reflects the gravity of the injury caused.
