Justice Kemal Pasha Retracts Defamatory Remarks Against Dr. K.M. Abraham, Expresses Regret
Thiruvananthapuram: Retired High Court Justice Kemal Pasha has withdrawn his derogatory remarks against Dr. K.M. Abraham, the Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, and expressed his regret. Justice Kemal Pasha had made the offensive comments through his personal YouTube channel, “Justice Kemal Pasha Voice.” His retraction and apology came after receiving a legal notice from Dr. K.M. Abraham’s lawyer. Kemal Pasha has also sent a reply to the legal notice.
The controversial videos containing Kemal Pasha’s derogatory remarks were posted on his YouTube channel following a High Court order for a CBI investigation into a disproportionate assets case against Dr. K.M. Abraham, a case that had previously been dismissed by the Vigilance Department. The two videos, which included the problematic statements, were uploaded on April 11 and April 20. In his legal notice, Dr. K.M. Abraham alleged that Kemal Pasha, despite his esteemed judicial background, had used terms like “wild thief,” “corruption hero,” and “bribe-taker” against him in a case where the High Court had only ordered an investigation. He further claimed that Kemal Pasha’s remarks constituted personal defamation.
Dr. K.M. Abraham highlighted in his legal notice that he was the officer responsible for exposing the irregularities and corruption in the Sahara scam, one of India’s largest stock market scandals, leading to a record fine of ₹15,000 crore being imposed on Sahara. He stated that Kemal Pasha’s comments, coming from a former judge, had sullied his reputation built over his career and caused disrepute among his family, friends, and colleagues.
The legal notice from Dr. K.M. Abraham demanded that Kemal Pasha withdraw the videos and issue a public apology, including publishing it in prominent newspapers, as a remedy for the defamation. It also warned that a defamation suit for ₹2 crore in damages would be filed if these demands were not met.
Following this, Justice Kemal Pasha has taken down both controversial videos and responded to Dr. K.M. Abraham’s lawyer, expressing deep regret for the remarks. In his reply, Kemal Pasha stated that he held no personal animosity towards Dr. K.M. Abraham and had made the videos based solely on hearsay, believing him to be corrupt. He admitted his failure to realize the consequences of his actions.
Kemal Pasha also stated in his reply that he should not have commented on the matter, especially since there were no findings against Dr. K.M. Abraham and the case was still sub judice. He added that he would not have made such a video if the Supreme Court’s stay order had been issued earlier. While denying that he made the exact defamatory remarks mentioned in Dr. K.M. Abraham’s complaint, Kemal Pasha confirmed that both videos have been removed and are now inaccessible even to him. He expressed deep regret for uploading the two videos and requested that his apology be accepted to avoid further legal action. Kemal Pasha also assured that he would not publish any videos or articles against Dr. K.M. Abraham in the future.