Supreme Court stays criminal defamation case against Aroon Purie over Bihar political debate

The Supreme Court recently stayed the criminal defamation proceedings initiated by a Patna court against India Today Group Chairman Aroon Purie in connection with a televised news debate aired last year. .A Bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, granted the stay on May 19 after hearing arguments in appeals challenging the Patna High Court’s March 24 order that had refused to quash the summoning order issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate at Patna..Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, assisted by advocate Hrishikesh Baruah, argued that the criminal defamation case lacked specific averment or imputation against Purie and was a direct assault on constitutionally protected journalistic freedom..The defamation complaint stemmed from a 2024 televised debate discussing internal political developments within the Janata Dal (United) in Bihar, including speculation—widely reported by various national media—about possible leadership changes involving Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu Prasad and Lallan Singh. The debate questioned whether the reported events amounted to rebellion or legitimate political manoeuvring.Despite several media outlets including ABP News and The Hindu reporting similar information, the complaint was filed solely against India Today and its editorial head, raising serious concerns about selective targeting..It was argued that examination under Section 200 CrPC was largely conducted by the complainant’s lawyer instead of the Magistrate and that no enquiry under Section 202 CrPC was carried out, despite the petitioner being outside the court's jurisdiction.It was also argued that Purie was summoned under non-existent provisions (Section 500A IPC) and listed under inconsistent accused numbers, reflecting non-application of judicial mind..The top court granted stay on further proceedings after acknowledging the substantial legal and procedural irregularities raised by Purie.Group General Counsel Nasser Kabir appeared for India Today..[Read Order]