Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867

The case arose from an India Today article titled “Mission Misconduct” that alleged sexual misconduct and other improprieties by an Indian Foreign Service officer. The officer, after disciplinary action, filed a criminal complaint against the magazine’s Editor‑in‑Chief (A‑1), the article’s author (A‑2) and several publ…

Criminal complaints were lodged against the managing editor, chief editor and resident editor of several newspapers alleging publication of defamatory material. The magistrate took cognizance under IPC sections 319 and 500 and issued summons. The accused filed petitions under CrPC s.482 seeking quash of the proceedings…

The Chief Editor of a daily newspaper was charged in a complaint alleging defamation under Sections 500 and 34 of the IPC, but the complaint contained no specific allegation that he edited or approved the offending news item. The magistrate issued summons, the editor pleaded not guilty and requested that the proceeding…

The complainant filed a private criminal defamation complaint under Section 200 CrPC alleging that fourteen news articles published in various newspapers defamed the authenticity of paintings to be auctioned by the complainant. The trial magistrate took cognizance, registered the complaint and issued summons to the acc…

The appellants, a group of journalists and media houses, were charged with defamation for publishing a news item that alleged the Additional Commissioner of Police, Rajiv Trivedi, facilitated the Sohrabuddin encounter. The second respondent obtained a previous sanction under Section 199(4)(b) of the Criminal Procedure …

Gambhirsinh R. Dekare, a Taluka Mamlatdar, complained that the Gujarati daily "Sandesh" published a defamatory news item alleging his illicit relationship with a doctor's wife. The complaint specifically alleged that the Editor (Falgunbhai Patel) and the Resident Editor (Navinbhai Chauhan) deliberately published the st…

The case involved a partnership firm that owned a newspaper, which was allegedly transferred to a newly incorporated company. A settlement deed purporting to resolve private disputes among the partners was recorded by the Madhya Pradesh High Court in a writ petition, even though the deceased appellant, Dwarka Prasad Ag…

The case involved a dispute between the heirs of the late Dwarka Prasad Agarwal and his partner Ramesh Chandra Agarwal over control of the printing press and newspaper business of Dainik Bhaskar. Ramesh Chandra Agarwal allegedly forged a lease, altered the partnership settlement, and took forcible possession of the pre…

The respondent, owner of the Kannada daily "Jaya Kirana", was charged under Sections 500, 501 and 502 of the Indian Penal Code for publishing a news item that the appellant claimed was defamatory. The appellant filed a private complaint, which led to criminal proceedings; the respondent sought quash of the case under S…

The author Dr. P.V. Narayana published a novel titled "Dharmakaarana" depicting the 12th‑century saint Basaveshwara, which included a controversial Chapter 12 alleging the saint's sister bore an illegitimate child. Several eminent persons complained that the chapter insulted religious sentiments, prompting the Karnatak…