Smita sues Mahanagar for Rs 11 crore

MUMBAI, November 20: The Nikhil Wagle-Bal Thackeray feud gained fresh impetus today, with Smita Thackeray, celebrity daughter-in-law of the...

MUMBAI, November 20: The Nikhil Wagle-Bal Thackeray feud gained fresh impetus today, with Smita Thackeray, celebrity daughter-in-law of the Shiv Sena chief filing a Rs 11 crore civil suit against Akshar Communications Private Limited, the publishers of Marathi eveninger Apla Mahanagar. The suit, filed before Justice D G Deshpande of the Bombay High Court, will come up for hearing on December 2. Smita Thackeray has alleged that Mahanagar has published two articles and repeated the same which were defamatory to the Thackeray family.

Mahanagar advocate Satyaranjan Dharmadhikari today sought time to file an affidavit which justifies the contents of the article. He also assured the court that contents of the article will not be repeated in any form till the final disposal of the case.

Smita Thackeray has objected to three articles in Mahanagar which according to her “is a systematic campaign against her family by Mahanagar editor Nikhil Wagle”. Wagle started the campaign with the August 4 article titled Smita Thackeray confesses’, which stated that Smita is part of a durbar at the Thackeray bungalow. And that she was involved in transfers of government officials.

Story continues below this ad

This was followed by an article published on September 25, titled Smita Thackeray fails in her attempt to snatch the houses of mathadi workers’, stating that she tried to snatch CIDCO plots in Airoli. Smita Thackeray however states that she has no knowledge of a CIDCO housing scheme for mathadi workers. She has further alleged that the eveninger repeated the same article on October 2 under the title, When the game of the daughter-in-law fails’.

She has alleged the articles seek to “create a rift in the Thackeray family”. Mahanagar’s sole purpose is to malign the Thackeray family, she added. Smita Thackeray was represented by Advocate Gulam Mohammad.