A Kerala Court on Tuesday (November 10) issued summons to former Director General of Police and present Thiruvananthapuram Councillor R. Sreelekha IPS in a criminal defamation case for allegedly making defamatory remarks about Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
The case has been initiated at the instance of K.P. Sreekumar, the General Secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, who preferred a private complaint before the Magistrate.
In the complaint, it is stated that Sreelekha made defamatory remarks against Rahul Gandhi while addressing BJP protest 'Janasabha' on October 14, held at Punalur in Kollam.
"That by making the aforesaid statement, the Accused falsely and maliciously alleged that Shri Rahul Gandhi's behavior during a democratic protest in Delhi resembled that of a person acting under the severe influence of drugs and narcotics. These defamatory statements made from a public stage were subsequently widely circulated through the media, broadcasted across various Malayalam television news channels, digital news portals, and social media platforms, and were viewed by millions of people across the State," states the complaint.
The complainant has alleged that the said public speech, which came to be widely broadcasted, has amounted to criminal defamation, punishable under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Soorya S. Sukumaran, Judicial First Class Magistrate-I, Mavelikara yesterday noted that two witnesses have been examined.
The court then issued notice to Sreelekha under Section 223 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The case is posted to December 2 for return of notice.
Counsel for the complainant: Advocate Saran Sivan