Supreme Court stays defamation proceedings against India Today group head Aroon Purie

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed criminal defamation proceedings against India Today group head Aroon Purie in a case related to a news debate aired last year.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan passed the order after hearing arguments from senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, who was appearing for Purie.

"Further proceedings of Complaint Case No. 2540(C) of 2024 pending in the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate Patna shall remain stayed till further orders," the bench said in May 19 order.

Purie has moved the top court against the March 24 order of the Patna High Court which dismissed his plea against summons issued to him in the defamation case.

The defamation complaint relates to a 2024 televised debate that discussed internal political developments within Bihar's Janata Dal (United), including widely reported speculation about potential leadership changes involving Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Prasad, and Lallan Singh.