Minister sends notice to Tejashwi over ‘defamatory’ remarks

Patna: BJP leader and UDHD minister Jibesh Kumar has sent a legal notice to RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for “misrepresentation of judicial proceedings, false, malicious and defamatory statements” circulated against him.Jibesh, through his lawyer, has demanded a public apology within 15 days or threatened legal action.“Tejashwi posted that minister Jibesh is convicted of drug theft for playing with people’s lives by selling fake medicines and is sitting as a minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet,” his lawyer quoted from the RJD leader’s social media post.The lawyer said Jibesh has never been convicted by any court for theft of medicine.

“Your statement clearly intended to malign my client’s public image for political mileage,” he said.He added there is no record that the drug in question was fatal or counterfeit. “The only alleged issue pertained to the manufacturer’s failure to meet certain technical dissolution parameters which by no standard qualifies the drug as misbranded, adulterated, or spurious, within the meaning of the law in general and the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 in particular.”

Jibesh admitted that he was a director of Alto Health Care Pvt Ltd, a company engaged in the trade of medicines. In 2012, a complaint was filed by the drug control officer, Rajsamand, Rajasthan, before the CJM, Rajsamand, against 16 accused, including Alto Health Care through its director Jibesh. The drug involved was being manufactured by Francis Biotec India Pvt Ltd, which Alto Health Care purchased under a valid licence, he said.The court on June 4, 2025, ordered the release of the accused persons on trial. While no sentence was imposed, the accused, including Jibesh, were directed to execute a bond not to repeat the offence for one year and pay Rs 7,000 each towards prosecution costs.Aggrieved, Jibesh appealed before the sessions judge, Rajsamand, who on June 30 granted bail to the appellants and simultaneously stayed the CJM order. The matter is relisted for Oct 17 this year.