Page 2 - Defamation Case

Defamation complaint case: You cannot be touchy in politics, says SC

You cannot be "touchy" in politics, the Supreme Court observed while hearing Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan's plea relating to a criminal defamation proceeding initiated against him. Murugan approached the apex court last year, challenging a September 5, 2023, Madras High Court order in which it had refused to quash the proceeding against him on a complaint filed by Chennai-based Murasoli Trust for his alleged defamatory statements during a December 2020 press conference. While agreeing to hear his petition on September 27 last year, the top court stayed the proceeding against Murugan that was pending in a special court in Chennai. The apex court had also sought the Trust's response on his plea challenging the high court order. When the matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan on Friday, the counsel appearing for Murugan said, "Where is the question of defamation in this case?" The lawyer appearing

'Will shut your business': Delhi HC issues contempt notice to Wikipedia

Delhi HC issued a contempt notice to Wikipedia for not disclosing users behind defamatory edits on news agency ANI's page. The court also warned of shutting down Wikipedia's operations in India

Delhi HC rejects plea to quash defamation case against Arvind Kejriwal

BJP leader accused Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders of defaming the BJP by claiming the party was responsible for deleting 3 million names from the Delhi electoral rolls

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

HC orders media houses to take down defamatory videos against RS MP Reddy

The Delhi High Court has directed several media houses to take down and block the URLs of certain videos and posts on social media which contained defamatory statements against Rajya Sabha MP Venumbaka Vijaya Sai Reddy. The high court, in an interim order, said if the media houses fail to remove the URLs within 10 days, the Member of Parliament will be at liberty to approach and request the intermediaries, including Google, Meta Platforms and X, which must then take them down within 36 hours. The high court it its observation expressed displeasure over the spreading of rumours, especially when it has the potential to affect the dignity of a woman and the reputation of a person. Perusal of such statements further reveal that most of them are based on rumours and it is trite law that rumours unlike truth must not be acted upon as an information for dissemination before the public at large especially when such rumours can potentially affect the dignity of a woman as well as the ...

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

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

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

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

Hearing in defamation case against Rahul Gandhi postponed to June 26

The hearing in the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged objectionable remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah was on Tuesday fixed for June 26 as the concerned judge was on leave. The case related to Gandhi allegedly making objectionable comments against Shah is going on in the MP/MLA court here. The defamation complaint against Gandhi was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra. Santosh Kumar Pandey, the plaintiff's lawyer, said that the matter was listed to be heard on Tuesday but due to the judge of the concerned court being on leave it has been postponed to June 26. The concerned court judge Shubham Verma had on June 7 fixed June 18 as the date for hearing the above case. The Congress leader had appeared in the court on February 20 in the defamation case and he was granted bail by the court. The complaint was filed on August 4, 2018, against Gandhi for his alleged objectionable comments against Shah at a press conference in Bengaluru. The ...

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 ..

Court to decide sentence of Medha Patkar in defamation case on July 1

A court here on Friday reserved for July 1 its order on the quantum of sentence against activist Medha Patkar in a defamation case lodged against her by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena when he headed an NGO in Gujarat. Metropolitan Magistrate Raghav Sharma reserved the order after noting that the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) submitted a victim impact report (VIR). The report is prepared after the conviction of an accused to assess the quantum of loss suffered by the victim. The offence entails a maximum punishment of simple imprisonment of up to two years or fine or both. Earlier on May 24, the court had observed that Patkar's statements calling Saxena a "coward" and alleging his involvement in hawala transactions were not only defamatory per se but also crafted to incite negative perceptions about him. Also, the accusation that the complainant was "mortgaging" the people of Gujarat and their resources to foreign interests was a direct attack on his integrity and pub

Bengaluru court grants bail to Rahul Gandhi in defamation case: Details

The City Civil Court in Bengaluru granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in connection with the Karnataka defamation case filed against him by the state Bharatiya Janata Party unit

Hearing in defamation case against Rahul Gandhi rescheduled to June 18

An MP-MLA court here on Friday postponed the hearing in the 2018 defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged objectionable remarks targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Gandhi's lawyer Kashi Prasad Shukla said due to the death of a lawyer, a condolence meeting was held in the court on Friday and the hearing was postponed to June 18. The Congress leader appeared in court in the defamation case in February and he was granted bail. The complaint against Gandhi was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra. Last December, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi. Subsequently, the Congress leader halted his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi on February 20, appeared in the court, and was granted bail. The complaint was filed on August 4, 2018, against Gandhi for his alleged objectionable comments against Shah made at a press conference in Bengaluru in May of that year during the Karnataka elections. The complainant referred to Gandhi's comments that the BJP claims t

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.

Delhi court refuses to summon Kejriwal in defamation case by BJP leader

A Delhi court on Tuesday refused to summon Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a criminal complaint filed by a BJP leader who accused him of defamation for claiming that AAP leaders were approached to join the saffron party in return for cash. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tanya Bamniyal, however, summoned AAP leader Atishi, saying "prima facie" there was sufficient evidence against her in the matter. The judge directed Atishi, a minister in the Kejriwal cabinet, to appear before the court on June 29. BJP leader Praveen Shankar Kapoor had filed a case against Kejriwal and Atishi over poaching allegations made by the two. "Having considered the facts and circumstances, the testimonies of the complainant's witnesses, the evidence placed on record, it prima facie appears that the alleged accused no. 1 (Atishi) has made specific defamatory statements as aforementioned against the complainant," the judge said. Further, it prima facie appears that the aforesaid defamatory ...

Defamation case: SC to hear Kejriwal's plea against summons on May 13

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging a Delhi High Court order upholding the summons issued to him in a criminal defamation case for retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in May 2018. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta is likely to hear the matter in which Kejriwal has admitted that he "committed a mistake" by retweeting the alleged defamatory video. On March 11, the top court asked Kejriwal whether he wanted to give an apology to the complainant in the matter. Kejriwal on February 26 told the apex court that he made a mistake by retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Rathee related to the BJP IT Cell. The counsel appearing for complainant Vikas Sankrityayan has told the top court that Kejriwal may issue an apology on social media platforms like microblogging platform 'X' or Instagram. On February 26, the apex court, without issuing noti

Judge rejects Trump's bid for new trial in $83.3 mn E. Jean Carroll case

A federal judge in New York rejected Donald Trump's request for a new trial on Thursday after a jury awarded USD 83.3 million in damages to a longtime magazine columnist who sued the former president for defamation for calling her claim that he had sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store a lie. The judge rejected the former president's claims that the compensatory and punitive damages awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll in January were excessive. The January verdict came after Carroll, 80, an author and former advice columnist for Elle magazine, testified that Trump's public statements about her had led to death threats. Judge Lewis Kaplan said in his ruling on Thursday that the jury was entitled to find that the degree of reprehensibility of Trump's attacks against Carroll on social media was high. Far from being purely defensive,' there was evidence that Mr. Trump used the office of the presidency the loudest 'bully pulpit' in America and possibly the world to issu

Defamation case against Rahul Gandhi: UP court schedules hearing on April 2

A special court here on Friday postponed the hearing on a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to April 2 due a strike by lawyers. The defamation complaint against Gandhi was filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra for his alleged objectionable remarks against Home Minister Amit Shah. The plaintiff's advocate, Santosh Pandey, said the hearing in the case was scheduled for Friday, but it was deferred to April 2 as lawyers abstained from court proceedings due to a strike over their various demands. The case was filed in August 2018. Last December, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi. Subsequently, Gandhi halted his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi on February 20 last and reached the court and was granted bail.