TRUSTEES of a charitable trust, who have filed a suit in 1997 against Kailash Satyarthi for alleged misappropriation of funds, on Saturday (December 5) told a Delhi court that the Nobel laureate was deceiving the society in the name of social work, an allegation that he has denied.
Satyarthi said the litigation and allegations were aimed at "tarnishing his image at the instigation of people who are having vested interests."
His counsel Pradeep Diwan claimed that his client was being dragged in the "frivolous" litigation which gained momentum only after he was conferred the award.
Additional District Judge (ADJ) Kamini Lau, however, was not convinced by this argument and said "work is more important. People who earn a name fall from it overnight also. So, let's not get into that."
Satyarthi in his application has sought a direction to the plaintiffs, trustees of the charitable trust, to deposit security for costs incurred or likely to be incurred by him and his wife to defend themselves in the matter.
The court, after hearing the arguments of both the parties, reserved the order on his interim application and fixed December 14 for pronouncement of its decision.
