Kerala High Court Dismisses Defamation Case Against Reporter TV Editors Over Book Discussion
The Kerala High Court has quashed a defamation case against Reporter TV’s Chief Editor Nikesh Kumar and Executive Editor Prakash, who were accused of defaming spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi. The case stemmed from a TV program in which the editors discussed “Holy Hell,” a book by Gail Tredwell, a former disciple of Amritanandamayi.
Justice PV Kunhikrishnan ruled that discussing a published book in the public domain falls within the media’s rights and cannot be grounds for defamation claims. The Court affirmed that media personnel cannot be silenced for discussing a book’s content, which is part of their freedom of speech.
The defamation suit, filed by a devotee of Amritanandamayi, challenged a February 2022 segment on Reporter TV that included allegations from a guest, Rishi Kumar, who claimed to have evidence supporting the book’s allegations against Amritanandamayi Math. The complainant argued that the program’s selective editing constituted defamation under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code.
In its judgment, the Court noted that while the book’s contents are publicly available and have been on the market since 2013, no defamation charges could be sustained against the editors for merely airing a discussion on the book. The Court also criticized the complainant for not pursuing action against the book’s author or publisher, suggesting a selective approach to litigation.
The Court’s decision underscores the principle that media discussions of publicly available works are protected under free speech rights, and it emphasized that pursuing defamation claims against media personnel without addressing the source material—such as the book’s author or publisher—is unjustifiable.
The proceedings against Nikesh Kumar and Prakash were therefore quashed, reaffirming the media’s role in discussing and analyzing published content without facing defamation claims.
(With inputs from agency)
Share your news, articles, deals, columns, or press releases with us! Click the link to submit and join our platform today.
