Defamation complaint against paper, columnist quashed

The Delhi High Court Monday quashed defamation complaint proceedings pending against newspaper Business Standard and columnist Mitali Saran before a Saket court, in connection with her article about the RSS. In a criminal defamation complaint filed in 2016, a lawyer had alleged that the article contained defamatory insinuations against the RSS and its members.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait in the order said the complainant has not got any witness examined from RSS or brought any material on record to prove he is a member of the organisation. He has not been able to show as to how is the “person aggrieved” within the definition of Section 199(1) CrPC, said the court.

“I have no hesitation to hold that complaint in question is not maintainable and liable to be dismissed. It is ordered accordingly. Consequentially, proceedings emanating there-from are also quashed,” said the court.