Ruining each other's careers: Supreme Court again urges Rohini Sindhuri IAS, Roopa Moudgil IPS to resolve spat

The Supreme Court on Friday again urged Indian Police Service (IPS) officer D Roopa Moudgil and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Rohini Sindhuri to resolve their long-running dispute through mediation [Rohini Sindhuri v. Roopa Divakar Moudgil].

A Bench comprising Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva was hearing a petition filed by Sindhuri challenging the Karnataka High Court's decision to uphold a trial court order taking cognisance of a defamation case filed by Moudgil against Sindhuri.

The matter concerns a public spat between the two officers that began in 2023. Expressing concern over the prolonged feud, the Supreme Court today cautioned that the ongoing litigation could damage both their careers.

"Both are excellent officers. They are ruining each other’s career…This court is of the opinion that the matter can be resolved by way of mediation," said the Court.

Taking note of the nature of the dispute and the positions held by the parties, the Bench appointed former Supreme Court judge, Justice Kurian Joseph as mediator to facilitate a possible settlement between them.

The dispute traces back to February 2023, when Sindhuri discovered that Moudgil had made several allegations against her in Facebook posts. In these posts, Moudgil allegedly accused Sindhuri of sharing her private pictures with fellow IAS officers.

The allegations subsequently triggered a highly publicised exchange between the two officers, eventually prompting the Karnataka government to transfer both officers.

Sindhuri then issued a legal notice to Moudgil and demanded an unconditional apology and ₹1 crore in damages for the loss of her reputation and mental agony.

In March 2023, a Bengaluru court took cognisance of Sindhuri’s complaint and initiated criminal defamation proceedings against Moudgil. The IPS officer challenged this before the Karnataka High Court, but her plea to quash the case was rejected. The High Court held that the allegations warranted a full trial.

Moudgil then approached the Supreme Court in December 2023. During hearings before a Bench led by Justice Abhay S Oka (now retired), the Court repeatedly flagged concerns over the public nature of the dispute. It noted that such conduct between senior civil servants could affect governance and administrative functioning.

The Court had, in December 2023, stayed the criminal defamation proceedings and directed both officers not to speak to the media. It also encouraged settlement, suggesting that Moudgil delete the social media posts and consider issuing an apology to bring closure to the issue.

Despite multiple opportunities, mediation efforts did not succeed. Sindhuri maintained that the allegations had caused serious and irreparable damage to her reputation and expressed reluctance to settle.

In November 2024, the Court allowed Moudgil to withdraw her plea seeking quashing of the defamation case after being informed that no settlement could be reached and the matter would proceed to trial.

The litigation has continued since

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