The Supreme Court extended the stay on defamation proceedings against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. This decision came after the complainant’s lawyer requested additional time to submit a counter-affidavit. The case remains pending until further developments. The extension delays further legal action for now.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court extended the stay on criminal defamation proceedings against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor concerning his reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “scorpion sitting on a Shivling.”
A Bench led by Justice Hrishikesh Roy adjourned the case after the complainant’s counsel requested additional time to submit a counter-affidavit.
When Tharoor’s counsel objected to the repeated requests for adjournments, Justice Roy noted that a stay order had already been in effect since September 2024. During a prior hearing, the court had inquired whether the comparison of the “scorpion sitting on a Shivling” implied “invincibility” and if it could be deemed derogatory.
The defamation case stems from a complaint filed in November 2018 by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajiv Babbar, who accused Tharoor of quoting an unnamed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) official mentioned in a Caravan magazine article from March 2012.
While discussing his book The Paradoxical Prime Minister: Narendra Modi and his India at the Bangalore Literature Festival in October 2018, Tharoor highlighted the “extraordinarily striking metaphor” used by the anonymous RSS member.
Tharoor subsequently approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court denied his request to quash the defamation proceedings on August 29, 2024.
Following this statement, BJP leader Rajiv Babbar filed a defamation case against Tharoor, arguing that the remark was derogatory and hurt the sentiments of Hindus, as it portrayed the Prime Minister in a disrespectful manner, particularly in relation to religious imagery. The trial court took cognizance of the complaint and subsequently issued summons to Tharoor, calling for his appearance in the defamation case.
Tharoor challenged this summons, seeking to have the case dismissed. However, on August 9, 2023, the Delhi High Court refused to quash the defamation proceedings, leading to Tharoor’s appeal before the Supreme Court. Tharoor’s legal team has now approached the apex court, seeking urgent relief from the trial court’s summons. The case continues to attract public attention, given its sensitive nature involving political and religious sentiments.
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