SC notice to ex-Karnataka speaker Ramesh Kumar on former MLA's plea against defamation proceedings
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to former Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar on a plea filed by former MLA, G K Venkata Siva Reddy against defamation proceedings initiated against him.
The former legislator was alleged to have made defamatory statements on December 20, 2019 in his address to media in Vidhan Sabha against Ramesh. He accused Ramesh of encroachment of 120 acres of forest and government land and other irregularities during his stint as Health Minister, causing loss of Rs 533.22 Crores as per the Comptroller and Auditor General report.
A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and J K Maheshwari sought a response from Ramesh within four weeks on Reddy's petition against the Karnataka High Court's February 6 judgement.
Reddy, led by advocate Sanjay M Nuli, questioned the validity of the High Court's judgement which had quashed taking cognisance on charges of extortion and criminal intimidation by a Srinivaspura court but allowed the defamation proceedings to continue on the complaint by Ramesh.
The petitioner, who has been political rival of Ramesh, current MLA from Srinivaspura constituency, contended that there was absolutely no material on record other than the baseless allegations of the complainant that he had committed slander. He also submitted that his statement was expressly covered under first exception to Section 499 (defamation) of the IPC, that is, it would not be defamation if the assertion was true and made with public good.
"As a matter of fact, the order dated 15.07.2006 passed by the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Kolar Forest Division in Srinivaspur Range Forest Offence Case No.59/2006-07 clearly states that the respondent (Ramesh) had in fact encroached upon the forest land and there was no falsehood in the statements of the petitioner," his plea alleged.
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