R BHAGWAN SINGH Vs. O THOMAS

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THESE Criminal Original Petitions are filed to quash the proceedings in CC.Nos.7714 and 7716/2000 on the file of the learned Metropolitan Magistrate, Saidapet, Chennai, in so far as the Petitioners, viz. R.Bhagwan Singh and O.Thomas, who are the Reporter and the Publisher of the English Daily Newspaper "Deccan Chronicle" are concerned.

(2.) THE brief facts are stated as follows:-

(3.) IN these Criminal Original Petitions, the sole contention raised by Mr.Sathish Parasaran, the learned counsel for the Petitioners is that the Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Chennai has no jurisdiction to take cognizance of the offence, since the publication was made in the Hyderabad and Bangalore Editions of Deccan Chronicle and in fact, the Newspaper did not have any publishing center in Chennai and therefore, the complaint cannot be sustained.