The Supreme Court stayed the criminal defamation case filed against Aroon Purie over a Bihar political debate. Purie argued the case had no specific charges and was an attack on the freedom of the press guaranteed by the Constitution.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court stayed the criminal defamation proceedings initiated by a Patna court against Aroon Purie, Chairman of India Today Group, related to a televised news debate aired last year.
A Bench consisting of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, On May 19, granted the stay after hearing arguments in appeals challenging the Patna High Court’s March 24 decision, which had declined to quash the summoning order issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Patna.
Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, supported by advocate Hrishikesh Baruah, represented the petitioner and argued that the criminal defamation case lacked specific allegations against Purie and constituted a direct threat to constitutionally protected journalistic freedom.
The defamation complaint originated from a 2024 televised debate that examined internal political developments within Bihar’s Janata Dal (United), including widely reported speculation about potential leadership changes involving Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Prasad, and Lallan Singh.
The debate raised questions about whether these reported events represented rebellion or legitimate political manoeuvring.
Notably, despite several media outlets, including ABP News and The Hindu, reporting similar information, the complaint was filed only against India Today and its editorial head, which raised concerns about selective targeting.
The petitioners contended that the examination under Section 200 of the CrPC was primarily conducted by the complainant’s lawyer rather than the Magistrate, and that no inquiry under Section 202 of the CrPC was performed, despite the petitioner being outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Additionally, it was argued that Purie was summoned under non-existent provisions (Section 500A IPC) and was listed under inconsistent accused numbers, indicating a lack of judicial consideration.
The Supreme Court acknowledged the significant legal and procedural irregularities raised by Purie and granted a stay on further proceedings.
Group General Counsel Nasser Kabir represented India Today in the matter.
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