Delhi Court Stays Order Directing FIR Against Abhijit Iyer Mitra For Posts Against Newslaundry's Manisha Pande

A Delhi Court on Monday stayed the order directing registration of FIR against commentator Abhijit Iyer Mitra on a complaint case filed by digital news platform Newslaundry's Editorial Director Manisha Pande accusing him of abusing her and other women employees on social media.

Additional Sessions Judge Purushottam Pathak of Saket Courts stayed the order passed by judicial magistrate first class on April 23.

A detailed order is awaited.

The order was passed on Mitra's plea challenging the magistrate's order.

Vide the impugned order, the Court had ruled in favour of Pande who had sought registration of FIR against Mitra.

The court had said that Mitra's tweets qualify as “sexually coloured remarks" and were "prime facie" intended to insult the modesty of the complainant, who had been named in one of the tweets. The court also said that the content of Mitra's tweets discloses commission of cognizable offences under section 75(3) (sexually coloured remarks) and 79 (outraging modesty of women) of BNS.

It had observed that a police investigation is necessary as the offence has been committed in cyberspace on the platform “X”.

On August 13 last year, the judge had directed the SHO of Malviya Nagar Police Station to file an action taken report in the matter. It was asked whether any complaint was made or received by the complainant in the police station and if yes, whether any action was taken on the complaint.

In November thereafter, the SHO was given last opportunity to file the ATR.

The report was filed before Court on February 18and the matter was then heard on the women journalists' application under Section 175(3) of BNSS, which

For context, the women journalists had sued Mitra before the Delhi High Court for defamation. They have sought a public apology from Mitra and Rs. 2 crore as damages and compensation.

Before the High Court, the journalists contended that the allegedly defamatory posts by Iyer on X were libellous, unfounded and misconceived, tainted with collateral objectives, having been made knowingly and deliberately, calculated to harm the dignity and reputation of the women employees.

According to them, Iyer, through his series of posts on X platform, had “falsely and maliciously” labelled the women employees using allegedly derogatory terms and slurs, referring to them as 'prostitute' and their workplace as a 'brothel'.

Earlier, the High Court had rapped Iyer for his tweets and after which Mitra had taken down the posts in question.

Later, Mitra moved the High Court seekingrejection of the defamation suit. The matter is pending consideration.