Jairam threatens to sue Laity Voice

Kochi: Union minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday threatened to sue Laity Voice, a publication of the Laity Commission of the Syro Malabar Church, unless it apologises to him for publishing an allegedly defamatory article.

The article had claimed that one Ashoka Trust in which Jairam Ramesh was shown as advisory board member had collected international fund in the name of protecting Western Ghats.

Ramesh said in New Delhi that the report was misleading. “They should withdraw the allegation and apologise to me. Otherwise I will initiate legal action,” he said.

Meanwhile, V.C. Sebastian, Laity Commission secretary and editor of Laity Voice told Deccan Chronicle that if at all Ramesh wanted to take legal action, he should proceed against Ashoka Trust.

“We published the article with documentary evidence. If he is not an advisory member of the NGO that collected the money, he should sue it, not us,” Sebastian said.