The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The last rebuttal hearing of Ap Sonam Phuntsho’s defamation suit against former BBS anchor Namgay Zam and Dr. Shacha was heard on Wednesday by the Chief Judge of Thimphu District Court with yet another full room that has become the trademark of this case from its outset.
The defendants submitted their rebuttals to the charges raised against them by Ap SP in his 25 point accusation of defamation due to the sharing of Dr. Shacha’s story by Namgay Zam.
Namgay Zam stressed that the charge of defamation was a whip wielded in an attempt to threaten dissidents with the expense of resources spent in litigation.
Both she and Dr. Shacha said that they were willing – “out of sympathy” – to delay the case until Ap SP’s treatment was concluded. Ap SP declined.
Namgay Zam asked a few weeks’ time to compile and “cross check information” that she would be submitting in the evidential hearings.
The evidential hearings are scheduled to begin 15 November, in which the litigants will present evidences in support of their stands.
Namgay Zam said that irrespective of whether the Ap SP has been defamed globally or not, he must prove to that he did indeed have a remarkable and stellar reputation prior to the sharing of Dr. Shacha’s story on my Facebook page. She said Ap SP has so far failed to establish this.
She made the plea that the Pplaintiff be ordered to point out the particular law that allows for exorbitant amounts of compensation for defamation.
Namgay Zam said if the Plaintiff fails to prove the actual damages, that the defamation suit be declared cantankerous litigation and the Ap SP be held accountable, and be made to pay appropriate damages to the defendants.
