Mental Health, Suicide and Journalistic credibility brought up in Ap SP Vs Dr Shacha & Namgay Zam case

At the third hearing of the defamation suit against Namgay Zam and Dr. Shacha another packed courtroom heard Ap SP submitting his 25 point grievances at Bench 1 on Wednesday.

After his submission was read out Ap Sonam Phuntsho, who had had his longish speeches cut short by the judge on occasions in both previous hearings, declined to make verbal supplements only adding another claim for mental health damages.

“The doctors have diagnosed me as suffering from depression and prescribed anti-depressants for six months,” said Ap SP adding that sleepless nights over the case was the cause and he should be compensated for the entire period.

Namgay Zam had previously asked that he prove concrete damages to court.

Dr Shacha said, “He says he is suffering from depression, and then he says he has another hearing right after.” Ap Sp had mentioned another appointment at the High Court before the hearing started.

Namgay Zam said that the defendants too were affected by the case and were in constant anxiety. The victimization goes both ways, she said. “My credibility as a journalist is being questioned and there are as many disbelievers as there are shares.” She continued that she had suffered concrete losses due to the case preventing her from keeping previous engagements abroad for which she had already bought tickets.

Shacha Wangmo said that she had thought of committing suicide on three occasions due to the stress generated by the issue.

Ap SP’s 25 points asked that the defendants prove he was a crook, that the courts had favored him due to his relation to the Chief Justice, that he had charged exorbitant interest rates to Dr. Shacha’s sister and Major KT Penjor. It also read that there had been no attempt for internal agreement and the only meeting had been at the legal firm of the sister’s lawyer where they had asked a discount for 3mn which he refused.

In response to Ap SP’s mention of the loan from Tashi Bank on a forged thram, Dr. Shacha said that it had no bearing on the current case whatsoever and referred to the visa scam that wikileaks had published as something she had opted not to mention at court as it was similarly irrelevant.

The suit is inextricably linked with the previous case between Ap SP and Dr.Shacha and her mother since it is based on the post by Namgay Zam of Dr. Shacha’s story which lays out the details of her case with Ap SP.

Almost all of Ap Sp’s 25 grievances are related to details of the previous case adjudicated by the Supreme Court which went in his favour but he expressed unhappiness over having to pay the BNB loan.