I.A. Nos. 4868/2016 (by defendant No.5), 4869/2016 (by defendant No.4), 4870/2016 (by defendant No.6), 4871/2016 (by defendant No.3), 5160/2016 (by defendant No.1) & 2206/2016 (by defendant no.2)

Vipin Sanghi, J.—All the aforesaid applications have been filed by the respective defendants as mentioned hereinabove under Order VI Rule 16 CPC with the prayer that the several pleadings made by the plaintiff in his respective replication to the individual written statement of the applicant/ defendant be struck of.

2. Since the nature of the reliefs sought in all these applications is the same, and they are premised on, more or less, the same submissions, I have heard common submissions of learned counsel for the applicants and the learned counsel for the plaintiff, and proceed to dispose of these applications by this common order.

3. The plaintiff has filed the present suit to seek damages with the allegation that the defendants have made libellous, scandalous and false allegations against him, by which he has been defamed and suffered damages. The plaintiff sets out in paragraph 3 of the plaint that all defendants individually and collectively have undertaken a false/ malicious and