The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the order of a Mohali court, which directed a journalist to give Rs 50 lakh as compensation to a former CRPF officer, for allegedly writing a defamatory article in a daily English newspaper in 2014 against him. A bench of Justice Gurbir Singh, was hearing a petition (RSA – Regular Second Appeal) filed by Rahul Pandita, challenging the order of the additional district and sessions judge of Mohali, which ordered Rs 50 lakh compensation to be given to the former inspector general of CRPF, Harpreet Singh Sidhu. “The execution of decree shall be kept in abeyance till the next date of hearing only,” ordered Justice Gurbir Singh, while issuing notice on the plea for October 21, 2024. Advocate Kshitij Sharma argued that the petitioner had allegedly written an article with respect to an encounter between CPI (Maoist) and CRPF personnel in an incident in Chhattisgarh, wherein, Sidhu was then the IG CRPF. Sidhu had filed a civil suit against Pandita, and the newspaper (The Hindu), for defamation, seeking compensation, but the same was dismissed. However, the appellate court (ADJ Mohali) allowed the plea stating that allowed Rs 50 lakh as compensation to Sidhu from Pandita “for loss of reputation and goodwill, mental agony and hardship due to unfounded derogatory remarks amounting to defamation against the plaintiff”. The plea by Pandita stated that the articles were not “personal in nature” and do not invade the privacy of the respondent in any manner. “Rather, the articles have been authored after due care and reasonable caution. The articles are published in a bona fide discharge of official duties and not with any malice,” the petition added. Justice Gurbir Singh, on hearing the matter, issued notice in the matter and stayed the execution of decree till next date.
