Roshan Baig gets immunity, Court slaps Web curbs on accused

BENGALURU: A city civil court issued an injunction order against four individuals and social media giants to refrain from posting and circulating defamatory as also derogatory content against disqualified Shivajinagar MLA R. Roshan Baig linking him to the multi-crore I Monetary Advisory (IMA) scam. The court issued the order directed at social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram to take cognisance of the content.

Mr Roshan Baig's son Ruman Baig had approached the court seeking an injunction order against four individuals, including two accused in the multi-crore IMA scam, who are already in jail, and also against social media giants.

Ruman filed the petition naming Nafeesa Khan (32), a resident of Malleswaram, Sultan Hashim aka Haseeb (35), also a resident of Malleswaram, Mohammad Ishtiaq Ahmed (50), a resident of Shivajinagar, and Syed Mujahid (50), a resident of Frazer Town.

Syed Mujahid, a nominated corporator of the BBMP, and Ishtiaq Ahmed aka Ishtiaq Pehelwan, have already been arrested in connection with the IMA scam and are in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. While Syed Mujahid was arrested for his alleged involvement in the scam along with the kingpin and MD of IMA Mohammad Mansoor Khan, Ishtiaq was arrested for taking Rs 2 crore as protection money from Mansoor Khan. Seeking the injunction order, Ruman told the court that the four individuals having malicious intentions against him and his father were posting and circulating derogatory and defamatory content on social media platforms. He stated that his father Roshan Baig had interacted with Mansoor Khan on a few occasions as Khan had approached Baig expressing his interest in taking part in social activities in Shivajinagar. "As he (Roshan Baig) was the local MLA, he generally interacted with Mansoor Khan as he wanted to help the needy. Apart from this, there is no nexus whatsoever between Roshan Baig and Mansoor Khan," Ruman said in the petition.

Roshan Baig's name prominently figured in the IMA scam after Mansoor Khan named him in an audio clip he released after fleeing the country on June 7. Mansoor Khan had claimed that Mr Baig took `400 crore loan from him and refused to return it when asked. Baig rubbished the allegations.