Delhi High Court Refuses to Dismiss Defamation Case Against Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi, India – The Delhi High Court has decided not to dismiss the defamation case against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. This case is about a comment Tharoor made in 2018 at the Bangalore Literature Festival, where he allegedly compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a ‘scorpion sitting on a Shivling.’
The court has also lifted the previous stay on the trial court proceedings. Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta has instructed all parties to appear before the trial court on September 10.
In 2020, the Delhi High Court had paused the proceedings against Tharoor. This pause was in response to Tharoor’s plea challenging a trial court order that had summoned him based on a defamation complaint filed by Delhi BJP leader Rajeev Babbar.
In April 2019, a trial court had summoned Tharoor due to Babbar’s complaint, which claimed that Tharoor’s remarks were hurtful to his religious sentiments and defamatory towards BJP workers and supporters. Tharoor was granted bail in June 2019.
Tharoor sought to dismiss the complaint, which was filed under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code, related to defamation.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big court in Delhi, India, where important legal cases are decided.
Defamation -: Defamation means saying something false about someone that can harm their reputation or how people think about them.
Shashi Tharoor -: Shashi Tharoor is a famous Indian politician and author who is a member of the Congress party.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi -: Narendra Modi is the current Prime Minister of India, which means he is the head of the government.
Scorpion sitting on a Shivling -: A Shivling is a sacred symbol in Hinduism representing Lord Shiva. Comparing someone to a scorpion on a Shivling can be seen as very disrespectful.
Bangalore Literature Festival -: The Bangalore Literature Festival is an event where writers, poets, and thinkers come together to discuss books and ideas.
Stay on trial court proceedings -: A stay on trial court proceedings means stopping the court case temporarily. Lifting the stay means the case will continue.
Delhi BJP leader Rajeev Babbar -: Rajeev Babbar is a leader in the BJP, which is a major political party in India. He filed the case against Shashi Tharoor.
