RAVINDRA RESHME Vs. B A HARISH GOWDA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) These petitions are directed against the judgment dated 12.04.2001 in C.C. No. 5295/1998 passed by the II Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Bangalore city and the common judgment dated 19.04.2004 in Crl. Appeal No. 289/2001 and Crl.R.P. No. 210/2001 passed by the Fast Track Court (Sessions) Judge IV, Bangalore city.

(2.) Petitioners in Crl.R.P. Nos. 817/2004 and 811/2004 are the accused and the petitioner in Crl.P. No. 2306/2004 is the complainant before the trial Court in C.C. No. 5295/1998. In this order, for convenience, the parties are referred to their status before the trial Court in C.C. No. 5295/1998.

(3.) Complainant filed a complaint against 4 accused alleging that accused No. 1 is the printer, publisher and editor of a weekly Kannada journal called 'LANKESH PATRIKE'. Accused Nos. 2 to 4 are reporters writing articles in the said journal. In this weekly journal LANKESH PATRIKE, in its editions dated 05.08.1998, 19.08.1998 and 26.08.1998, marked as Ex.P.2, Ex.P.3 and Ex.P.4 respectively, published articles on the complainant. According to the complainant the imputations made in these articles are malicious, false, cooked up and had caused damage to the reputation of the complainant. It is further contended that the allegations made in these articles are defamatory in nature, lowered the image of the complainant, harmed his character and reputation in the eye of public and as such the accused have committed an offence punishable under Section 500 IPC.