Summary

New Delhi: Swaminathan Gurumurthy, part-time director at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has sent a legal notice to the weekly magazine the Economist for publishing a libelous and defamatory article questioning his credentials to be on the board of directors of the central bank and his knowledge of economics.

The article in question was published in the web edition of the Economist on 17 November and says that Gurumurthy “is a fixer who gets his things done". The article was also published in the print version of the 24-30 November issue of the magazine.

In a 15-page notice, Gurumurthy has sought an unconditional apology for the unverified information and defamatory statements contained in the article and a correction to be publicly and prominently displayed in the magazine.

The notice claims that publication of the article without verifying the veracity of its contents amounted to gross interference with Gurumurthy’s professional, personal and public life. A response from the Economist is awaited.

Gurumurthy, who was appointed as a part-time director on the RBI’s board in August, claimed that by publishing the article, the magazine had acted in a mala fide manner, torn out of context the statements made by him, attempted to tarnish his reputation and public image, and undermined the image of the RBI.

“In the event that you elect not to pay heed to the present notice, we will be constrained to institute appropriate legal proceedings, both civil and criminal, and it would be entirely up to you to risk the consequences," the notice added.

Response from The Economist awaited

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