MALAYALA MANORAMA CO LTD Vs. DEEPAK J M

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Petitioners in Crl. M.C. No.4139/2017 are A2 to A8, petitioners in Crl. M.C. No.5383/2017 are A16 to A19, petitioners in Crl. M.C. No.5352/2017 are A34 to A37 and petitioners in Crl. M.C. No.6185/2017 are A49 to A52 in ST.3/2017 of the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court, Thiruvananthapuram, based on Annexure-A private complaint annexed in Crl. M.C. No.4139/2017, alleging the offence punishable under Section 500 read with Section 34 IPC.

(2.) It is alleged that the 1st accused, a practising lawyer, has made some statements in a speech, which were duly published by almost all the print and electronic media in the State, including these petitioners. It is alleged that these petitioners, along with the other media persons, who are accused, had printed and published and also caused the telecasting of the said speech as a news item. The complainant is a practising lawyer, who is allegedly representing a group of advocates, who are agitating and protesting against the atrocities allegedly committed by the media persons.

(3.) The portion of the speech, which according to the complainant, constitute defamatory statements has been reproduced in Malayalam in paragraph 1 of Annexure-A complaint. The statement precisely compares 'street dogs' on the one side with 'lawyers' on the other side. He has allegedly further stated that the menace from street dogs could be checked by adequate treatment. He went on to say that he did not mean whether such a treatment should be given to "them".