DEBI GOENKA Vs. B D GARD

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner is A.8 in C.C.No. 300 of 2001 on the file of the learned Judicial Magistrate No.II, Hosur, and the proceedings against the petitioner and seven others came to be initiated by way of a private complaint at the instance of the respondent for an offence punishable under Section 500 IPC. The complaint was initially filed before learned Judicial I Class Magistrate, Neelamangala, and thereafter, a petition for transfer was filed by one of the accused before the Supreme Court and on the orders of the Supreme Court, the case was transferred to Judicial Magistrate No.II, Hosur and re-numbered as C.C.No.300 of 2001.

(2.) The allegation in the complaint is that accused No.1 is a member and spokesperson for "All Goa Citizen Committee for Social Justice and Action" and accused No.2 to 9 are supposed to be his members (The words 2 to 9 may probably be a typographical error). It is alleged in the complaint that "All Goa Citizen Committee for Social Justice and Action" is bringing out "Goa Scene", a news letter, with its office at No.22, Municipal Building, Dr.Pissurkar Road, Panaji, Goa and the said news letter has been published by the first accused on behalf of "All Goa Citizen Committee for Social Justice and Action". The further allegation in the complaint is that "Goa Scene" have published letters dated 30.10.1999 and 19.12.1999 and also publishing articles about Meta Stripes Limited aimed at discrediting and bringing down the image of Meta Stripes Limited in the eye of the general public. The further allegation in the complaint is that, various articles published in the news letter were aimed at highlighting certain unwarranted and unfounded accusations and in order to clear the misgivings created by the articles published in the news letter from the mind of the general public, the complainant addressed a detailed letter to the accused, appraising the object with which Meta Stripes Limited was started in Goa and the success it has achieved in a short period. The complainant, after giving history as to how Meta Stripes Limited came to be started, went on to state that the accused, by letter dated 28.12.1999, addressed to the then Minister of State for Social Justice, Government of India and to a Judge of the Karnataka High Court, Bangalore, ridiculed the designation of the complainant and also compared the complainant to a gas bag. The further allegation in the complaint is that, in June 1999, the accused started creating trouble in the name of pollution and also in the general statement made in the letter addressed by the accused, words like "fraud", unlawful misdeeds" and "just like someone who adopted an abandoned whore" have been used and also made allegations that the complainant is a person indulging in nefarious activities and that he is suffering from mental crisis. It is further alleged that in the letter dated 27th December 1999 addressed to Dr.S.R.Jindal, derogatory comments have been made in bad taste and it has lowered the image and status of K.R.Raghunath, who is the Senior Executive of the company and that accused No.1 has been publishing derogatory articles with an ulterior motive to blackmail the Jindal Aluminium Company. It is also stated that the accused, with a common intention, prepared and published a letter by addressing copies to persons other than the complainant himself and the defamatory utterances and expressions which have been deliberately included in the letter cannot be said to have been used to justify or as to come under any one of the exceptions provided under Section 499 of Indian Penal Code.

(3.) The learned counsel appearing for the petitioner, who is A.8, submits that there is absolutely no allegation as against the petitioner and the only statement made in the complaint is that the first accused is a member and spokesperson of the "All Goa Citizen Committee for Social Justice and Action" and accused 2 to 9 are supposed to be his members. The learned counsel submits that there is no allegation that the petitioner, who is arrayed as A.8, was responsible for the alleged defamatory statements made in the articles or in the letters addressed to various persons.