New Delhi: In a big growth, the Supreme Courtroom has imposed an interim keep on the proceedings in a prison defamation case filed by senior IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri in opposition to Karnataka’s prime IPS officer, D Roopa. The bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal, not solely stayed the proceedings but additionally issued a directive forbidding the concerned civil servants from participating with the media.
Media gag on Karnataka’s elite civil servants
The court docket’s order on December 15 explicitly acknowledged, “The Felony Case material of this petition is not going to proceed additional… Contemplating the truth that we’re attempting to resolve all of the disputes pending between the events, none of them shall give any interview or any info to the media, social and print, in any kind.”
The keep got here into impact after IPS officer Roopa filed an affidavit, complying with the earlier order to take away controversial social media posts in opposition to IAS officer Sindhuri. The court docket, whereas posting the matter for a listening to on January 12, 2024, warned that any failure to take down the contentious posts could be delivered to Roopa’s counsel’s consideration.
A timeline of allegations and counter-claims
The authorized tussle started when Sindhuri accused Roopa of conducting a “character assassination” by social media posts. Sindhuri’s defamation grievance outlined Roopa’s alleged actions of sharing pictures, making public allegations, and issuing statements within the media, questioning her private {and professional} conduct to tarnish her popularity.
The apex court docket’s involvement got here after a collection of occasions, together with the Karnataka Excessive Courtroom’s refusal in August to quash the prison defamation case initiated by Sindhuri in opposition to Roopa. The spat between the 2 officers prompted the State authorities to switch each people.
A duel within the courts
On December 14, the Supreme Courtroom directed Roopa to take away the contentious posts whereas listening to her petition to quash the prison defamation grievance. Roopa had earlier approached the Excessive Courtroom for the case’s quashing, however her plea was rejected, main her to maneuver to the Supreme Courtroom.
The highest court docket, through the enchantment, expressed considerations in regards to the ongoing feud, emphasizing that if the officers continued to withstand mediation, the State administration might come to a standstill. Because the authorized saga continues, the January 12 listening to guarantees to be an important chapter within the ongoing battle between these two high-profile civil servants.
