Last week, the Allahabad High Court dismissed a defamation case filed against Union Minister Smriti Irani. The case was brought by Vartika Singh, an international shooter and former recipient of the President of India award.
Uttar Pradesh: Last week, the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench, ruled in favor of Union Minister Smriti Irani, dismissing a defamation case filed against her by Vartika Singh, an international shooter and former recipient of the President of India award. The case, filed under Section 482 of the CrPC, aimed to quash an order dated October 21, 2022, issued by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate/Special Court MP/MLA, Sultanpur, in Complaint Case No. 01/2021.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Mohd. Faiz Alam Khan, the court emphasized the seriousness of summoning in a criminal trial, stressing that it should be approached cautiously. The court noted that the initiation of criminal law proceedings cannot be done as a arbitrary matter.
During the proceedings, the court meticulously examined the statements made by the accused, Smriti Irani, during her interactions with the media. It was observed that the statements did not explicitly name the complainant, Vartika Singh, but rather criticized a political party with which Singh was allegedly associated.
“If both these statements given by the opposite party no. 2 are read conjointly, it would emerge that the intention of the opposite party no. 2 is/was to criticize a political party and not to make any imputation against the applicant-complainant.”
The bench stated
Additionally, the court highlighted the differentiation between character and reputation, referencing a precedent. “The term ‘reputation’ is a composite hearsay, being the community’s opinion which implies the definite and final formation of belief by the community.”
Taking into account these considerations, the court found insufficient grounds to proceed against Smriti Irani under Section 499/500 of the IPC for defamation.
Section 499 and Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deal with the offence of defamation.
Section 499 defines defamation as any imputation concerning any person, intending to harm or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of the person, by words either spoken or intended to be read, or by signs or by visible representations.
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Section 500 prescribes the punishment for defamation. Whoever defames another person shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term that may extend to two years, with a fine, or with both.
CASE TITLE: Vartika Singh Vs State Of U.P.
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