Page 2 - Defamation

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 The board was officially dissolved and its charter rescinded in August of that same year.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.

LS polls: Rajeev Chandrasekhar accuses Tharoor of defamation, sends notice

Union Minister of State for Information Technology and Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar has sent a legal notice to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor accusing him of making defamatory statements against the BJP leader on a TV channel recently. Chandrasekhar, who is facing off against Tharoor in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming polls on April 26, has alleged that the Congress MP disseminated "patently false information" regarding bribing of key voters and influential figures such as parish priests, among others, by the BJP leader. The notice has claimed that the statements by Tharoor were made with an intent to harm Chandrasekhar's reputation and image and that his remarks also disrespected the entire Christian community of Thiruvananthapuram and its leaders by accusing them of engaging in cash-for-votes activities. It has also contended that the Congress MP's statements were in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The notice also claimed that the ...

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Why political memes are no laughing matter

The race for creativity, the accessibility of tools, and the urgency of elections often blur the line between what is humorous and what is offensive

TN minister Radhakrishnan booked for alleged derogatory remark on PM Modi

A case has been registered against Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan for his alleged derogatory remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a recent meeting of the DMK party workers, police said on Monday. A case under section 294 B of the IPC (uttering obscene words in public) has been registered against Radhakrishnan by the Meignanapuram police following a complaint by the BJP Thoothukudi south district president R Sidhrangathan, a senior police official said. According to Sidhrangathan, the Fisheries Minister made the remarks against the PM at the DMK party workers meeting held at Thandapathu in Tuticorin district on March 22. "Immediately, I preferred a complaint with the district election officer and collector G Lakshmipathy demanding appropriate action against the state Minister and the police registered a FIR on Sunday," he said. Radhakrishnan's uttering was "disgusting and despicable and he criticised the Prime Minister for lauding late Chief Minister ...

Delhi HC refuses to quash summons against CM Kejriwal in defamation case

The Delhi High Court on Monday upheld summons issued to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as an accused in a criminal defamation case for retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in May 2018. Retweeting a social media post carrying defamatory content will amount to defamation under Section 499 of the IPC, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said while refusing to quash the trial court's 2019 order summoning Kejriwal. The court also said that some sense of responsibility must be attached while retweeting content on social media about which a person does not have knowledge. The AAP leader had challenged two orders of the trial court on the refusal to quash the summons. The high court had earlier stayed trial court proceedings in the case. A magistrate's court had summoned Kejriwal to appear before it in August 2019 after a criminal complaint by the founder of social media page, "I Support Narendra Modi", alleged the AAP leader had retweeted the defamatory ..

SC reserves order on Tejashwi's plea seeking transfer of defamation case

The Supreme Court on Monday reserved its order on a plea filed by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav seeking transfer of the criminal defamation complaint pending against him in a Ahmedabad court over his alleged "only Gujaratis can be thugs" remark to a place outside the state, preferably Delhi. A bench of Justices A S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan took on record a fresh statement of apology filed by Yadav. "We will pass orders," the bench said. The top court on January 29 had directed Yadav to file a "proper statement" withdrawing his alleged remark that "only Gujaratis can be thugs". Yadav on January 19 filed an affidavit in the apex court withdrawing his alleged "Gujarati thugs" remark. The top court, while hearing the RJD leader's plea, had earlier stayed the proceedings in the criminal defamation complaint and issued notice to the Gujarat resident who had filed it. The complaint against Yadav was filed under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for alleged criminal defamation.

Defamation plea filed by ex-business partners not maintainable: Dhoni to HC

Former Team India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday submitted before the Delhi High Court that a defamation plea filed against him by his two ex-business partners was not maintainable. The high court refused to pass any interim order, at this stage, against Dhoni and several media houses and social media platforms to injunct them from posting or publishing any alleged false defamatory content against the plaintiffs on any platform which could tarnish their goodwill and reputation. Plaintiffs and former business partners Mihir Diwakar and his wife Soumya Das have approached the high court seeking a permanent injunction and damages against Dhoni, several social media platforms and media houses and thereby restraining them from making, publishing, circulating per se defamatory, ex facie false and malicious statements against them. Dhoni's counsel appeared before the court and submitted that the plaint against him was not maintainable and he has just filed a case against th

What next for Donald Trump after $88 million fine in defamation damages

For years, Donald Trump hurled insults at E. Jean Carroll, saying the advice columnist fabricated a sexual assault allegation against him to sell a book. Will Trump keep that up, now that he's been hit with a $83.3 million defamation judgment? A jury on Friday found that Trump had maliciously damaged Carroll's reputation in 2019 after she went public with her accusations. Jurors awarded her $18 million to compensate for the personal harm she experienced, then added $65 million more to punish Trump and maybe prevent him from continuing to go after her on social media. A different jury concluded last May that Trump was responsible for sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room in 1996. Those jurors awarded Carroll $5 million. If both judgments stand, Trump would owe her a total of $88.3 million. Trump and his lawyers have promised to appeal. A look at the verdict and where the case might go from here: THE ACCUSATION Carroll said she was shopping at the