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Informist, Thursday, Aug 29, 2024

 

--HC refuses to quash defamation case against Tharoor in trial court 

--CONTEXT: Trial court hearing case against Tharoor's comment on PM

--HC lifts stay on proceedings in defamation case against Cong Tharoor 

 

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court today refused to quash a defamation case against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in a trial court over his alleged statement comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a scorpion. The high court vacated its stay on the trial court proceedings against Tharoor. 

 

Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta directed the parties to appear before the trial court on Sep 10. "No grounds are made for quashing the proceedings at this stage," said Justice Mendiratta, adding that it would be expedient in the interest of justice that the proceedings be permitted to continue before the trial court. The court also rejected Tharoor's plea against the trial court summoning him in the case.

 

In 2018, Tharoor had claimed that an unnamed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader compared Modi to "a scorpion sitting on a shivling". Tharoor had said that it was an "extraordinarily striking metaphor". He was given bail by the trial court in the case in 2019.

 

The complaint in the case against Tharoor was filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajeev Babbar under section 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code. Babbar said Tharoor's statement was not only "an abuse of the Hindu deity but also defamatory and an insult to BJP workers, supporters and leaders". Babbar said his religious sentiments were hurt by the statement, as it was not only "baseless but also misleading and defamatory".  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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