SC stays defamation proceedings against Shashi Tharoor over ‘scorpion’ remark against PM Modi
PTC News Desk: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed criminal defamation proceedings against senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in a defamation case over a 2018 remark allegedly comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a scorpion.
Shashi Tharoor filed an appeal against a Delhi court order compelling his appearance in a defamation case. The Lok Sabha MP was given legal relief on the day he was scheduled to appear in court.
A panel of justices Hrishikesh Roy and R Mahadevan also issued a notice to BJP leader Rajiv Babbar, who had complained about Tharoor's statements at the Bangalore Literature Festival, where he allegedly made the "scorpion on Shivling" remarks directed at the Prime Minister. The panel asked for a response from the Delhi Police and scheduled the hearing for the next four weeks.
Tharoor's lawyer, Mohammed Ali Khan, argued that the defamation case brought by BJP leader Rajeev Babbar failed to name either the magazine that published the original quote or the individual who made the initial statement as the accused in the case. Khan maintained that Tharoor's controversial "scorpion sitting on a Shivling" statement about Prime Minister Narendra Modi was protected by the defamation law's immunity clause. Khan further stated that the law grants immunity to statements made in good faith. He went on to say that Tharoor's statement was based on an article published in 2012 when Narendra Modi was Gujarat's Chief Minister.
- PTC NEWS
