Defamation

Mumbai court slaps contempt notice on Google CEO Sundar Pichai; here's why

In its defence, YouTube cited immunity under the Information Technology Act, arguing that defamation does not qualify as content that can be blocked under Section 69-A of the Act

Defamation case filed against CM Siddaramaiah over 'blackmailer' remark

Advocate-activist T J Abraham on Wednesday said he has filed a defamation suit against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a special court here for allegedly calling him a blackmailer. He is among the petitioners who had urged Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to permit investigation against the Chief Minister in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam. Siddaramaiah in his enthusiasm for vengeance against me made certain public statements. He called me a blackmailer and a person with bad antecedents, Abraham told PTI. You (Siddaramaiah) have taken 14 sites by creating a bogus and illegal claim and you call me a blackmailer! I have filed a defamation case against you. We will see how you will escape, he said. In the MUDA case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA. The MUDA had allotted

SC issues notice on Delhi CM Atishi, Kejriwal's plea in defamation case

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Delhi government and BJP leader Rajiv Babbar on a plea of Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal challenging the high court order refusing to quash a defamation case against them. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued a notice in the matter and stayed the proceedings in the trial court. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Atishi and Kejriwal, submitted that the defamation case has been filed by Babbar, as authorised representative of BJP Delhi. "BJP, neither central nor Delhi, has not filed any complaint. Babbar is not the person I have allegedly defamed," he submitted. Senior advocate Sonia Mathur, appearing for Babbar, stated that the BJP leader has filed the case on behalf of the party. Both Atishi and Kejriwal has challenged the September 2 order of the Delhi High Court, which had refused to quash the proceedings against them and other AAP leaders over their remarks about ..

Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: Hearing postponed to September 21

The hearing in the MP-MLA court here in a case of defamation against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was on Thursday postponed due to unavailability of the complainant's lawyer. Plaintiff Vijay Mishra's advocate Santosh Kumar Pandey cited several cases scheduled in different courts on Thursday, and sought additional time, which the court of special judge Shubham Verma accepted. The next hearing has now been set for September 21. Gandhi has been accused of making objectionable comments during the 2018 Karnataka polls about Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was then the BJP president. Mishra, a local BJP politician and former cooperative chairman, filed a complaint in August 2018. Since then, the matter has been ongoing in court. During the "Bharat Jodo Yatra," Gandhi surrendered before the court on February 20, 2024, and was granted bail on personal surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each. Following that, the court issued several notices for him to record his statement,

Rohan Dua files defamation suit on 'sexist' claims in Manu Bhaker Interview

Journalist Rohan Dua's interview with Olympian Manu Bhaker led to allegations of sexism, accusing him of focusing on the Bhaker's appearance rather than her sporting achievements

Akhilesh calls for defamation case against BJP MLA for remarks on Mayawati

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has said that a defamation case should be filed against BJP MLA Rajesh Chaudhary for his remarks against BSP chief Mayawati. In a video from a news channel shared by Yadav on X on Friday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Chaudhary from Mathura district's Mant area is heard saying, "There is no doubt that Mayawati has been the chief minister of UP four times and it was us (BJP) who made her the chief minister for the first time. We made that mistake". "Mayawati is the most corrupt chief minister of Uttar Pradesh," Chaudhary goes on to say in the video. Condemning these remarks, Yadav in a post in Hindi on X on Friday said, "Political differences have their place but no one has the right to tarnish her (Mayawati's) dignity as a woman. BJP members are saying that making her chief minister was a mistake, which is also an insult to public opinion in a democratic country." "Furthermore, making baseless allegations that she was the most corrupt chi

Delhi Minister Atishi gets bail in defamation case filed by BJP leader

Metropolitan Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal granted bail to Atishi on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 20,000 and a surety bond in the like amount

Fed judge dismisses defamation suit filed against Fox news by govt official

A defamation suit against Fox News by a government official who served on a short-lived US government media disinformation board was dismissed on Monday by a federal judge. The lawsuit from Nina Jankowicz alleged that Fox had defamed her on numerous occasions, leading to waves of online attacks and threats of violence after the formation of the Disinformation Governance Board, where she served as a director. In May of 2022, just weeks after its launch, the Department of Homeland Security paused the board's work and accepted Jankowicz's resignation. The board was officially dissolved and its charter rescinded in August of that same year. In rejecting Jankowicz's claims, the judge said that 36 of the 37 statements made on Fox News programmes were about the disinformation board and not Jankowicz. The judge ruled that the remaining statement which was also a reference to the board and not Jankowicz, despite showing an image of her as it was said was not disinformation because it was a

Cal HC restrains Mamata from making defamatory statement against Guv

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday restrained West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and three others from making any defamatory or incorrect statement against Governor CV Ananda Bose in an interim order till August 14. Bose had moved a defamation suit against Banerjee, two newly-elected TMC MLAs Sayantika Banerjee and Reyat Hossain Sarkar and party leader Kunal Ghosh. He also prayed for an interim order restraining them from making any further comment in connection with alleged incidents at Raj Bhavan. Speaking on an imbroglio over oath-taking of the two new MLAs, Banerjee had made certain comments, over which the governor moved the defamation suit before the high court.

In relief to Rahul Gandhi, HC quashes magistrate's order in defamation suit

In a relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Bombay High Court on Friday quashed a magistrate's order permitting an RSS worker to submit fresh and additional documents in a pending criminal defamation complaint. RSS worker Rajesh Kunte had in 2014 lodged a defamation complaint before the Bhiwandi magistrate's court, claiming the Congress leader had made false and defamatory statements during a speech that the right-wing outfit was responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. In 2023, the magistrate court in Bhiwandi in Thane district permitted Kunte to submit the transcript of Gandhi's speech, which was part of a petition the Congress leader had filed in 2014 seeking the quashing of summons issued to him. Kunte contended that by including the transcript as part of his petition, Gandhi had "unambiguously owned up to the speech and its contents". Gandhi challenged the magistrate's order before the high court. On Friday, a single bench of Justice Prithviraj Chavan allowed

HC directs Saket Gokhale to pay Rs 5 mn as damages to wife of Hardeep Puri

Saket Gokhale had alleged that Lakshmi Puri had purchased certain property in Switzerland disproportionate to her income

Delhi HC orders TMC MP Saket Gokhale to pay Lakshmi Puri Rs 50 lakh

Defamation case: TMC MP Saket Gokhale must post a public apology on his X (formerly Twitter) account, which has to remain posted for six months

Hearing of defamation case against Rahul Gandhi deferred to August 3

The hearing of a defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the district over his alleged statement linking the RSS with Mahatma Gandhi's assassination was deferred to August 3, his lawyer said here. The hearing was scheduled for Saturday but the magistrate at the Bhiwandi court was on leave, said Gandhi's lawyer advocate Narayan Iyer. The criminal defamation case was filed by local Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member Rajesh Kunte over the Congress leader's alleged statement at an election rally near Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014, that the RSS people killed (Mahatma) Gandhi. He defamed the RSS by making this false claim, the complainant said. In a related development, the Bombay High Court two days ago reserved its order on a petition filed by Rahul Gandhi against the admission of certain evidence by the Bhiwandi court, his lawyer said.

Defamation case: Rahul Gandhi summoned to appear before UP Court on July 2

Rahul Gandhi defamation case: The case was filed in 2018 for remarks made against then BJP President Amit Shah at a press conference in Bengaluru

Thaksin indicted on charge of royal defamation as more cases stir Thailand

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was formally indicted on Tuesday on a charge of defaming Thailand's monarchy in one of several court cases that have unsteadied Thai politics. Thaksin, an influential political figure despite being ousted from power 18 years ago, reported himself to prosecutors just before 9 a.m. and the indictment process has been completed, Prayuth Bejraguna, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General, said at a news conference. A car believed to be carrying Thaksin arrived at the Criminal Court in Bangkok but he did not come out to meet reporters, and it is unclear whether he went to the court or the nearby prosecutors' office. His lawyer Winyat Chatmontree told reporters that Thaksin was ready to enter the judicial process and that he has prepared a request for his release on bail. The law on defaming the monarchy, an offense known as lese majeste, is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. It is among the harshest such laws globally and ..

Rahul Gandhi reviews Congress performance in Karnataka in Lok Sabha polls

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday reviewed the performance of the party in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka. The ruling Congress won nine seats, while the BJP and JD(S), which is a part of NDA, bagged 17 and two seats, respectively, in the State which has a total of 28 Lok Sabha segments. Gandhi addressed the newly elected MPs and losing candidates of the party here, Congress sources said. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar, who is also the party's state unit chief, and Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala were also present at the meeting. Earlier in the day, Gandhi appeared before a special court here in connection with a case filed by the BJP's Karnataka unit for issuing "defamatory" advertisements in mainstream newspapers. He was granted bail.

Rahul Gandhi to appear before Bengaluru court today in BJP defamation case

The BJP in the complaint had alleged that the advertisements in local newspapers and 'false campaigning' by Congress ahead of the 2023 state assembly elections damaged BJP's image

Defamation case: Court summons Rahul on Jun 7, grants bail to K'taka CM

A court here on Saturday directed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear before it in a defamation case filed by the BJP, and granted bail to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar in connection with the matter. Rahul Gandhi was asked to appear before the court on June 7 in connection with the case. The defamation case on alleged false advertisements was filed by BJP general secretary Keshav Prasad. While Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar appeared in person before the Special Court for People's Representatives in Bengaluru, Gandhi, who was supposed to appear, did not turn up. BJP advocates raised objections and said Gandhi should not be given an exemption under CrPC 205 since he had skipped an appearance for the second time. Congress advocates argued that Gandhi was attending the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi, and he is also a contestant in the Lok Sabha polls. They requested the court for exemption from Saturday's hearing and promised that the Congress l

Ex-Thai PM Shinawatra to be indicted for royal defamation, say prosecutors

Thai prosecutors on Wednesday said former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be indicted for defaming the monarchy, three months after he was freed on parole on other charges. Thaksin will not yet be indicted because he had filed a request to postpone his original appointment on Wednesday with proof that he has contracted COVID-19, said Prayuth Bejraguna, a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General, at a news conference. The attorney general's office scheduled a new appointment for Thaksin's indictment on June 18, Prayuth said, adding that Thaksin will also be indicted for violating the Computer Crime Act. Thaksin had been in self-imposed exile since 2008, but returned to Thailand in August last year to begin serving an eight-year sentence. He was released on parole in February from the hospital in Bangkok where he spent six months serving time for corruption-related offenses.

Court convicts Medha Patkar in defamation case filed by Delhi L-G Saxena

A Delhi court on Friday convicted Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar in a defamation case lodged against her by V K Saxena, the incumbent lieutenant governor of the national capital. Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma found Patkar guilty of criminal defamation. Under the relevant law, the activist may get a jail term of two years or fine or both as the punishment. Patkar and Saxena have been locked in a legal battle since 2000 after she filed a suit against him for publishing advertisements against her and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). Saxena was then the chief of Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties. Saxena had also filed two cases against her for making derogatory remarks against him on a TV channel and issuing a defamatory press statement.