Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, has launched a $60 million defamation lawsuit against former Georgetown Mayor, Pandit Ubraj Narine, over statements made on social media that the Minister claims have severely damaged his reputation.

The legal action, filed in the High Court, stems from a Facebook post published on April 28 on the page “Pt. Ubraj Narine Former Mayor of the City of Georgetown,” which has nearly 28,000 followers. In the post, Narine criticized Minister Indar’s public silence following the discovery of 11-year-old Adrianna Young’s body at the Double Day Hotel. Narine implied that Indar had a personal or business connection to the hotel and may have interfered with media coverage of the incident.

Minister Indar’s Statement of Claim asserts that the allegations are false, baseless, and intended to suggest impropriety, a conflict of interest, and intentional misinformation. The Minister is seeking damages exceeding $60 million, aggravated and exemplary damages, an injunction to prevent further publication of the allegedly defamatory statements, the removal of existing posts, and a public retraction and apology from Narine.

The claim highlights that the original Facebook post was widely viewed, shared 62 times, and attracted over 130 comments. A subsequent post by Narine allegedly intensified the defamatory nature by questioning the timing and sincerity of Indar’s public response.

Minister Indar, a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a senior member of the ruling People’s Progressive Party, contends that the posts have caused him considerable distress and reputational harm. His legal team, led by Sase R. Gunraj and Shania Y. A. Cummings, argues that unless restrained, Narine is likely to continue publishing similar statements.

Narine has been officially served via the Supreme Court’s Electronic Litigation Portal and has eight days to file a defence. At the time of reporting, Narine had not issued a public response to the lawsuit.