M V R SASTRY Vs. MOHD ZAHED ALI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This Criminal Petition is filed by the accused in C.C.No.181 of 2003 on the file of the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Nirmal, Adilabad District, to quash the proceedings against them for the offences under Sections 500 and 501 of I.P.C.

(2.) The petitioners alleged to have published a news item in their daily newspaper "Andhra Bhoomi" alleging that there was some information that two persons and their followers appropriated the amount collected from the contractors. The name of the complainant is not referred in the news item. The complainant claims that he is one of the accused in the crime, which was registered against the persons referred in the news item. As seen from the news item, there is no direct nexus between the news item and the complainant and no defamatory statement has been made against him.

(3.) The learned counsel for the petitioners submitted that under Section 198 of Cr.P.C., the aggrieved person must file the complaint, but the complainant cannot be said to be the aggrieve person, therefore, the complaint itself cannot be maintained. The persons who were referred in the news item have no grievance and they did not come up with any complaint that their reputation has been defamed.