The Ketan Agarwal murder case has taken a new turn after Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava, who claims to represent accused Siya Goyal, served a legal notice on her brother, Sahil Goyal, seeking an apology, withdrawal of his remarks and warning of a Rs 10 crore defamation suit.
Ketan Agarwal with Siya Goyal in an undated photograph. | IANS
A fresh legal dispute has surfaced in the Ketan Agarwal murder case after an advocate claiming to represent accused Siya Goyal served a legal notice on her brother, Sahil Goyal, demanding a public apology and warning of a Rs 10 crore civil defamation claim over alleged defamatory remarks.
Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava alleged that Sahil Goyal publicly questioned his authority to represent Siya Goyal despite a vakalatnama having been filed before the court. The notice asks Sahil to withdraw his statements and cautions that legal proceedings will follow if he fails to comply.
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In the legal notice, Srivastava said Siya Goyal had executed a duly signed vakalatnama authorising him to conduct her legal defence.
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“Ms. Siya Goyal has duly executed and signed the Vakalatnama/authority in my favour for her legal defence. The said appointment was not an oral claim, not a media projection and not an unauthorised assertion, but a legal authority voluntarily given by an adult accused/client. The original/signed Vakalatnama is already filed before the competent court and her additional signed original copies of the relevant documents shall be produced before the appropriate forum/Court of law as and when required,” the notice stated.
According to the notice, the vakalatnama has already been accepted and taken on record by the Vadgaon Maval Court.
Srivastava alleged that Sahil Goyal made false and defamatory statements before the media without verifying the legal records or contacting him first.
“It is appalling, distressing and shocking that, instead of first verifying the authenticity and legality of the Vakalatnama duly filed on record or without having any conversation with us, you blatantly, irresponsibly, maliciously and fraudulently issued a public/media statement suggesting that I was not appointed or authorised by the family members,” the notice said.
The notice claimed those statements damaged Srivastava’s professional reputation and subjected him to trolling, threats, hostile phone calls and professional embarrassment.
It has asked Sahil Goyal to withdraw the statements, issue a public apology and submit a written undertaking that he will not repeat similar allegations. The notice also states that legal proceedings, including a civil defamation claim seeking Rs 10 crore in damages for alleged reputational loss, will follow if a satisfactory response is not received within the stipulated period.
The disagreement came into the open ahead of a court hearing in the murder case on Monday.
Speaking to the media, Sahil Goyal questioned Srivastava’s authority to represent his sister. He alleged that the advocate had neither been engaged nor authorised by the family and claimed Siya Goyal’s signature may have been obtained “by deceit”.
Sahil also said the family had appointed Advocate Vipul Dushing to represent them, filed an affidavit before the court on the issue and alleged that Srivastava had threatened family members.
The exchange has added a separate legal dispute to the ongoing proceedings in the Ketan Agarwal murder case.
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