Kerala High Court quashes defamation proceedings against news channel
The Kerala High Court has quashed criminal defamation proceedings against Asianet News and its staff regarding the broadcast of a press conference. The court ruled that media outlets cannot be held liable for defamatory statements made by third parties during a press event unless they actively participated in the defamation.
Why it matters
This ruling provides a significant legal precedent for press freedom in India, protecting broadcasters from liability for simply reporting on public statements.
The Kerala High Court recently set aside the criminal proceedings against Asianet News, its bureau chief, and its editor for airing a press conference that allegedly contained defamatory statements.
Justice C.S. Dias held that continuing to prosecute the petitioners would be equivalent to attaching liability on them for a crime they had not committed. The court noted that the mere act of telecasting a press conference, without anything more, would not automatically attract criminal liability for defamation.
The defamation complaint was made by George Thomas of Ernakulam against the statements made at a press conference by one Anitha Guha Brown, who had previously worked with Mr. Thomas. Ms. Brown had stated in her press conference, which was aired by Asianet among other channels, that Mr. Thomas had cheated her of several crores of rupees.
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