Read Time: 03 minutes

Judge Prashant Kumar Joshi at Dwarka Court, Delhi has summoned National Law University Delhi's Professor Jeet Singh Mann, in a criminal defamation suit filed against him by the University's former Registrar- Professor GS Bajpai.

Bajpai has complained that in order to tarnish his public image built through hard work and toil and to target his family, Mann has been actively posting defamatory posts which are harmful to his reputation on social media.

He has further alleged that via a Facebook post titled “Corruption in Legal Education, based on undisputed facts & law" – in the public domain, unequivocally, Mann has targetted him and his daughter Mehak Bajpai, who is currently working as a Research Associate in the same university.

The Court observed that there is sufficient ground to proceed against the accused only for the offence punishable under Sections 499 of the IPC, stating that prima facie, the Facebook posts published in a group created by the accused were posted by him so that the same may be read by persons other than the person defamed.

"The intent to defame is not necessary, mere knowledge that the imputation would harm the complainant is sufficient, irrespective of whether harm is actually caused or not," the Court said.

Noting thus, it held that in the instant matter, the nature of imputations were such that it would lower the esteem of the complainant in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.

Thus the Court has summoned Jeet Singh Mann on Jan 12.

Cause Title: Prof (DR.) G.S. Bajpai Vs. Jeet Singh Maan