SC to hear challenge to legality of defamation as a criminal offence
SC stays proceedings on criminal defamation cases filed against Subramanian Swamy
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the ministry of law and justice and the Tamil Nadu government on a plea by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy challenging the classification of defamation as a criminal offence.
Swamy also sought the quashing of defamation complaints against him by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. She has filed five defamation complaints against Swamy for statements he made against her on a social network. Jayalalithaa has also been asked to respond to the case.
A two-bench of justices Dipak Misra and U.U. Lalit also stayed the criminal defamation cases against Swamy. It will hear the matter next after six weeks.
Shreeja Sen and PTI contributed to this report.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!