SC junks appeals of journos against summons in defamation case

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed by a senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai challenging the summons issued to him in a defamation case for allegedly making false implication against a senior officer of Hyderabad police in connection with Sohrabuddin encounter case in 2007.

A bench of justices V Gopala Gowda and C Nagappan also rejected the pleas of seven others associated with various publication or media houses, who were also summoned for allegedly defaming Rajiv Trivedi, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes and SIT), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

"We are of the opinion that the impugned judgement passed by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh in rejecting the petitions for quashing the initiation of criminal proceedings against the appellants under Section 482 of the Cr PC is perfectly legal and valid.

"The same does not call for interference by this court in exercise of its appellate jurisdiction as there is no substantial question of law framed in the appeals nor is there any miscarriage of justice for the appellants to interfere with at this stage," it said.

The other journalists summoned were Sidhartha Gautam, Swati Vashishta, V K Shashikumar, Ahmed Ali Shaik, Gulab Kotari, Hemender Sharma and Lateef Mohammed Khan.

The appeals were against the decision of the High Court of Judicature of Andhra Pradesh at Hyderabad.

The bench said that the appeals were devoid of merit, liable to be dismissed and "are accordingly dismissed".

"The orders granting stay of further proceedings before the trial court shall stand vacated," it added.