The Madras High Court has told Dinamalar, a Tamil publication to not publish news articles that may be disrespectful to leaders.
The High Court's remarks came after the daily referred to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late J Jayalalithaa as 'J' in a news article.
The court passed an order on July 12 when they were hearing a plea filed by the late editor of the publication and the publisher to quash proceedings for an offence for which they face punishments under sections 500, 501 of IPC, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
"She should have been addressed as Hon'ble Chief Minister J Jayalalitha and not as 'J'. While printing and publishing matters with regard to leaders of the country or state, the petitioners are supposed to give respect and address them accordingly," Justice Bhavani Subbaroyan of the court observed.
The petitioners said that the defendants under Section 199(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code can be prosecuted for defamation of a public servant.
"If the defamatory statement is personal in nature, this special procedure will not apply and it is only the concerned person who has to file the complaint in his or her individual capacity," Madras High Court observed.
The court said that the allegations that were the basis of the complaint do not refer to the conduct of the affected person in discharge of public function.
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Published 27 July 2021, 04:48 IST