Karnataka High Court Stays Defamation Case Against Asianet News Network Over Broadcast On Alleged Financial Irregularities In KEONICS

The Karnataka High Court stayed criminal defamation proceedings against Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd, its journalists and news anchors over broadcast of its bulletin regarding audit observations and alleged financial irregularities concerning Karnataka Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (KEONICS).The defamation complaint has been filed by an IAS officer and former Managing Director of KEONICS, a government-owned entity, against the news network alleging that the petitioners had fabricated content against the company. The petitioners argued that it had only telecasted information already circulating in the public domain concerning audit observations related to KEONICS, adding that the complaint itself discloses that the allegations pertain "entirely to financial and procedural irregularities pointed out by the office of the Accountant General in its audit enquiries". Issuing notice on the petition, Justice Mohammad Nawaz in his interim order said: “Matter requires consideration. There shall be stay of further proceedings in C.C.No. 24340/2025 pending on the file of the Court of XLVIII Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate at Bengaluru, qua the petitioners/accused Nos.9 to 12, till next date of hearing.”The petitioners had approached the court seeking to quash the trial court proceedings contending that before issuing summons the Magistrate should have been satisfied that the essential ingredients of criminal defamation under Section 499 of IPC have been made out.It was argued that in the present case, without the subjective satisfaction which requires that the imputation must lower the moral or intellectual character of a person in the estimation of others, the trial court had issued summons.Reliance was placed on a judgment of the Supreme Court in Jaideep Bose v. Bid and Hammer Auctioneers Private Limited and others (2025) wherein the apex court had quashed the summons after noticing that the complainant failed to produce any witnesses to prima facie establish that the alleged imputations had lowered their reputation in the estimation of others.Further, it was argued that the petitioners have acted in good faith with no intention to defame the complainant falling within Exception 8 of Section 499 of IPC. The proviso to Section 223 of BNSS, was also not followed before taking cognizance of the offence.The petitioners have claimed that the complaint proceeds on a fundamentally erroneous premise that the petitioners fabricated or maliciously created content, whereas the telecasts only reported on matters of legitimate public concern.It is argued that the complaint does not disclose intention, knowledge, or any act attributable to the petitioners that satisfies the statutory requirements under Section 499 IPC.It may be noted that in November the court had in a similar matter stayed proceedings against Republic TV Kannada, its editor and anchors. Case Title: M/S ASIANET NEWS NETWORK PVT LTD & Others AND SANGAPPACase No: CRL.P 16773/2025Appearance: Advocates Sudharsan Suresh, Sainath DM, Neha V, Pavana NM and Nandan Patil for Petitioners.Click Here To Read/Download Order

Karnataka High Court Stays Defamation Case Against Asianet News Network Over Broadcast On Alleged Financial Irregularities In KEONICS

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