Magistrates cannot ask the police to investigate a private criminal defamation complaint as it is the complainant who needs to prove the case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said.
The complaints were filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders for allegedly calling Union Minister Amit Shah a "murder accused" and saying that "all thieves have Modi as surname".
The complainant also alleged that Narsinghanand used abusive language against the Ghaziabad police commissioner and the assistant police commissioner of Loni in a video.
In a significant development, a Delhi court on Thursday took cognisance of Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary's criminal defamation complaint against Congress MP Naveen Jindal and 16 officials of his firm Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL).
Former Union Minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid is facing legal issues with the release of his book, Sunrise over Ayodhya -- Nationhood in our times. Two Delhi lawyers have filed complaints with Delhi Police against Khurshid, for allegedly defaming and comparing Hinduism with terrorism in his book.
The special court exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to elected former and sitting MPs/MLAs has taken cognisance of the offences under Sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and posted the case for recording the sworn statement on July 27.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday filed a criminal complaint before a Delhi court accusing Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of defaming him with remarks on the Sanjivani scam.
A Delhi court on Wednesday took cognizance of Zee Business Editor Samir Ahluwalia's criminal defamation complaint against Naveen Jindal, his firm Jindal Steel and Power Ltd and its 14 officials.
The comedian has failed to appear before the Mumbai police for questioning despite three summons issued to him.
The court summons came after Kejriwal, who was summoned on Monday as an accused, did not appear before it on the ground that he was busy in campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections
In a criminal complaint filed before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Mumbai, Tata Sons has claimed that an article published by 'Outlook' in its March 28, 2011 edition and another in the April 4, 2011 edition made 'false and defamatory statements and harmed the reputation of the Tata business name'.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday told the Supreme Court that he made a mistake by retweeting an allegedly defamatory video circulated by YouTuber Dhruv Rathee related to the BJP IT Cell.
Under the relevant law, the activist may get a jail term of two years or fine or both as the punishment.
Vivek Doval had filed a defamation case against Jairam Ramesh and Caravan Magazine for their alleged defamatory statements and articles against him. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sachin Gupta heard the matter on Saturday.
The summons was issued on Tuesday and Kamra (36) was asked to appear at the Khar police station where a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him last month, they said.
In a relief to former commissioner of police Hasan Gafoor, the Bombay High Court today stayed summons issued by a Chandigarh court against the senior cop in connection with a defamation complaint filed by the father of inspector general (Konkan region), Parambir Singh.
Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary on Thursday filed a defamation complaint against Congress MP Naveen Jindal for averments made against him in the FIR of alleged Rs 100 crore extortion bid case and in a press statement in New Delhi.
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has been issued a second notice by Mumbai police to appear for questioning in a defamation case filed against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The case was filed based on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel, who accused Kamra of making defamatory statements during a recent show. Kamra's show had sparked controversy with his satirical comments about Shinde's political career and the 2022 rebellion that brought down the MVA government. The notice comes after the police had issued a previous notice to Kamra on Tuesday and sought his presence. Following the first notice, sources said Kamra had requested a week's time to appear before the police.
Azmi said during Aurangzeb's reign, India's border reached Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar).
Bhide, known as 'Bhide Guruji' among his followers, is accused of making offensive remarks about Mahatma Gandhi's lineage in his speech during a programme in Amravati district in the last week of July.
The Karnataka high court has granted an interim stay on criminal proceedings initiated against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya and Republic TV's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, in connection with allegations of spreading false claims that the Indian National Congress (INC) operates an office in Istanbul, Turkiye.
The apex court asked the Gujarat high court to decide within four weeks on a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party leaders seeking quashing of the summonses issued to them by the trial court.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday withdrew from the Delhi high court his case filed against a trial court decision sending him to jail in a defamation complaint by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The complaint said the video was made with an "intention to insult and defame the Vice-President of India, his caste as well as his background of farmer and as a lawyer".
Kamra taunted Shinde using a modified version of a Hindi song from the film Dil To Pagal Hai, eliciting laughter from the audience.
Metropolitan Magistrate Gomati Manocha issued a summon for April 7 against Kejriwal on the complaint in which Gadkari had alleged that he was defamed by the Aam Aadmi Party leader, who had included his name in the party's list of "India's most corrupt".
As the Queen star found herself in the middle of a row, with the BJP distancing itself and the Congress attacking it, here's a look at some of the controversies, political and otherwise.
A Delhi court hearing the criminal defamation complaint against Army Chief General V K Singh and four others on Saturday transferred it to the court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate.
A court in Delhi on Tuesday asked the Delhi police to investigate the defamation complaint filed against Congress Member of Parliament Naveen Jindal and 16 others by Zee News editor Sudhir Chaudhary, who had alleged that false allegations were levelled against him to tarnish his image.
The Bombay High Court has allowed the police investigation against comedian Kunal Kamra over his remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to continue, but has barred his arrest. The court said the investigation can continue, but Kamra will not be arrested during the pendency of the petition. The court also said that if the police wanted to record Kamra's statement, they shall do so in Chennai, where he currently resides, after giving him prior notice.
A sessions court in Mumbai has dismissed a criminal defamation complaint filed by a Mumbai police officer against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami over certain claims made during the coverage of the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
RSS worker Rajesh Kunte had in 2014 filed a private complaint before the Bhiwandi magistrate's court after watching Gandhi's speech where he allegedly accused the RSS of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. Kunte claimed this statement slandered the reputation of the RSS.
Ramani, who concluded her arguments on Saturday in the complaint filed against her by Akbar, told the court through her lawyer that the #MeToo campaign was started to correct the structural wrong, which was continuing for long.
The Tamil Nadu government filed a criminal complaint in a sessions court in Chennai on Wednesday against state Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai for defaming Chief Minister M K Stalin.
A Delhi court on Monday framed defamation charges against Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal in a case filed by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's political secretary for his alleged remarks against her during power tariff hike protests in October 2012.
The banker was asked to be present as the police wanted to record statements of witnesses, the official said.
Fatehi, a Canadian citizen, also arrayed 15 media organisations as accused in her complaint.
The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in an FIR accusing him of promoting enmity among religious groups. The court also directed Zubair not to travel abroad. The FIR was lodged last month following a complaint by an associate of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand. Zubair had moved the high court, requesting quashing the FIR and protection from coercive action. In his plea, he stated that his post did not call for violence against Narsinghanand.
Rashtrapati Bhawan has filed a complaint with Delhi Police against former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi for posting "defamatory" tweets against President Pranab Mukherjee and his Secretary Omita Paul.
The Mumbai police have registered an FIR against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a show. The police also registered a case against nearly 40 Shiv Sena workers for allegedly vandalizing the studio where Kamra's show was filmed. The incident took place after a video went viral showing Kamra allegedly using defamatory words against Shinde. Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel lodged a police complaint, leading to the FIR against Kamra under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including for statements conducing to public mischief and defamation. Meanwhile, the Khar police registered an FIR against 19 Shiv Sena functionaries, including Rahul Kanal (Yuva Sena), Vibhag Pramukh Kunal Sarmarkar and Akshay Panvelkar, for vandalizing the studio and the hotel premises. The incident has sparked controversy, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray condemning the vandalism and questioning the state's law and order situation.
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