Surat: A dispute that spilled from social media to public forums culminated in a criminal case in Surat. Khatodara police have booked a self-styled social worker after a retired Civil Hospital official accused him of running a sustained campaign of defamation ahead of his retirement.Khatodara police registered a case against Sanjay Ezhava, who identifies himself as a social worker, on charges including forgery and criminal defamation following a complaint by Ikbal Kadiwala, a retired assistant nursing superintendent of Surat Civil Hospital.Kadiwala alleged that Ezhava deliberately sought to damage his reputation and subject him to social, mental and economic hardship in the period leading up to his retirement.According to the complaint, Kadiwala retired from govt service on June 30. He alleged that, days before his retirement, Ezhava began posting defamatory content about him on social media.The FIR states that on June 3, Ezhava posted a video showing a couple making objectionable gestures inside an ambulance. Kadiwala alleged that Ezhava later falsely claimed that he was one of the persons in the video.Kadiwala further alleged that on June 25, Ezhava invited media representatives and made allegations against him, including claims relating to exploitation of women. The complaint also states that defamatory literature was distributed during the interaction.According to the FIR, Ezhava uploaded videos on his YouTube channel, “Kayda Katha”, and posted content on Instagram and Facebook making allegations regarding Kadiwala’s conduct and integrity.The complainant alleged that several of the issues raised by Ezhava had previously been examined by the internal complaints committee (ICC) and Khatodara police, and no evidence supporting the allegations had been found during those inquiries.Kadiwala said that during his tenure he had acted against employees involved in wrongdoing and that some of them were unhappy with his professional decisions, promotions and retirement benefits.He alleged that Ezhava acted in concert with such individuals as part of a planned effort to harm his reputation.The FIR also alleges that audio clips were circulated and falsely attributed to Kadiwala. He claimed he had no knowledge of the conversations and that the recordings were wrongly linked to him.Kadiwala further alleged that videos and posts portraying him in a negative light were repeatedly shared on various online platforms.After the continued circulation of the content, he approached Khatodara police and lodged a complaint.Police registered a case under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to forged electronic records intended to harm a person’s reputation and publication of defamatory material.
