The Supreme Court seeks deposition records in the defamation dispute between IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri and IPS officer D Roopa.
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NEW DELHI: Recently, In a high-profile case involving two senior government officers in Karnataka, the Supreme Court has called for the records of a deposition made by IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri in her defamation complaint against IPS officer D Roopa. The dispute between the two officers, which escalated into a public spat in early 2023.
“Despite the ample time afforded by this Court for reconciliation, the parties have been unable to resolve their differences. As such, we instruct the petitioner to provide a copy of the respondent’s deposition as recorded in the complaint.”
-the Supreme Court said in an order on May 15.
The apex court also ordered the continuance of an interim stay granted on December 15, 2023, on the criminal defamation proceedings brought by the IAS officer against the IPS officer.
Background:
IPS officer D Roopa approached the Supreme Court in October 2023, seeking the quashing of the criminal defamation proceedings brought against her by IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri. The dispute arose after a public spat on social media earlier in 2023. Despite several opportunities given by the Supreme Court to settle their differences and “work out a solution which will be in the interest of both,” the officers have been unable to reconcile.
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Rohini Sindhuri has sought an apology from D Roopa for social media posts, which the IPS officer removed after the intervention of the Supreme Court in December 2023. The Supreme Court stayed proceedings in the criminal defamation case filed by Rohini Sindhuri against D Roopa in December 2023, following the IPS officer’s undertaking to delete all social media posts referring to the IAS officer.
The SC had on December 14 asked D Roopa to provide an undertaking on the deletion of the controversial posts or to express regret as a means for resolution of the matter. The IPS officer filed an affidavit on December 15 stating that she had taken down all posts referring to IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri in deference to the views expressed by the Supreme Court bench.
Earlier in August 2023, the Karnataka High Court had refused to quash the defamation case lodged by Rohini Sindhuri against D Roopa. A single-judge bench rejected a plea by the IPS officer, who then approached the Supreme Court. Rohini Sindhuri has alleged in her defamation complaint that D Roopa shared photos, made allegations on social media, and made statements in the media questioning her personal and professional conduct to tarnish her image before the public and colleagues. The case was filed under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 500 (defamation), seeking damages of Rs 1 crore.
“If the statements shared on a private account and those given to the print media are scrutinized, I am fully convinced that the petitioner/accused must stand trial for criminal charges. Whether the posts on a Facebook account and statements to the print media qualify as exceptions is a matter that will be determined during the trial.”
– the high court had ruled in its August 21 judgment.
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The public spat between the IAS and the IPS officers created a major controversy in Karnataka in early 2023 and left the two officers without postings. In September 2023, nearly seven months after the spat, the two officers were given new postings by the new government.