H.K. DUA Vs. BHARTI ARORA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) PETITIONERS H.K. Dua, Editor-in-Chief and other Editorial Board members of The Tribune have filed this petition under Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for quashing of Criminal Complaint No. 135 dated 16.7.2005 titled as Mrs. Bharti Arora v. Kulwinder Sandhu and others filed under sections 499/500/501/502 read with section 34 IPC pending in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Karnal as well as the summoning order dated 16.7.2005 and subsequent proceedings arising therefrom.

(2.) THE complainant Mrs. Bharti Arora filed a complaint on the allegations that Kulwinder Sandhu the Press Correspondent of The Tribune Chandigarh, the other accused, i.e. the petitioners herein had printed false and defamatory news items on 4.4.2005, 10.4.2005 and 23.4.2005. The news items published read as under :-

(3.) THE case of the complainant was that the news items referred to above were false, scandalous and per se defamatory and it hurt the feeling of the complainant and has lowered her image among her relatives, friends and general public at large. The complainant also reacted to the above said news items and wrote a letter dated 24.4.2005 to accused No. 2 H.K. Dua which reads as under :-