S.RAMADOSS Vs. MURASOLI TRUST

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This petition has been filed to quash the compliant lodged by the respondent in C.C.No.1280 of 2020 on the file of the learned XIV Metropolitan Magistrate, Egmore, Chennai District, thereby taken cognizance for the offences under Ss. 499 & 500 of IPC, as against the petitioner.

(2.) The respondent filed private complaint for the offences punishable under Ss. 499 & 500 of IPC. The crux of the allegations in the complaint is that the respondent owns, prints and publishes the daily newspaper Murasoli. The petitioner is the founder of a political party and he manages a twitter handle under the name and style of Dr.S.Ramadoss with URL http://twitter.com/drramadoss (hereinafter after called as "official twitter account"). The petitioner twitted from his official twitter account on 17/10/2019. Further he also twitted four twits from his official twitter account on 19/10/2019 at about 12.07 p.m. Once again he twitted from his official twitter account on 19/11/2019 at 8.39 p.m.

(3.) According to the respondent, the contents of the twits are false, baseless, untrue and per se defamatory. It constitutes a calculated attempt to malign the reputation of the respondent. The constitutional protection of freedom of speech and expression is subject to reasonable restrictions, which includes defamation as such, the action of the petitioner falls beyond the scope of freedom of speech. He is seeking political mileage and his ulterior motive is apparent from the twits made by him against the respondent's political party. There is no bona fide reason for raising this issue by way of twitter. Therefore, the respondent has suffered immeasurable mental agony and the reputation of the Murasoli Trust has been degraded, tarnished and smeared due to the twits made by the petitioner.