K'taka HC quashes defamation case against woman IPS officer

Bengaluru, June 15 (IANS) In a relief to senior IPS officer D. Roopa Moudgil, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday has quashed a defamation case against her filed by a retired IPS officer H.N. Satyanarayan Rao.

Rao had filed defamation case against Roopa, following her revelations on preferential treatment meted out to V.K. Sasikala, the close associate of late former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha, after receiving a huge amount of bribe.

She had also pointed out other illegalities in the prison.

Roopa, who is currently the Managing Director of Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation had written a letter during her tenure as a DIG of Prisons to Satyanarayan Rao, who was DG and IGP of Prisons in 2017.

In the letter, she pointed out that there are speculations that the authorities have taken a bribe of Rs 2 crore, and fingers were pointed out at Satyanarayan Rao as well.

She had alleged in her letter that Sasikala has been given a separate kitchen after taking Rs 2 crore as bribe. She has also discussed deputing co-prisoners for the service of fake stamp paper racket kingpin Karim Lala Telgi.

Satyanarayan Rao had filed a defamation case against Roopa in this connection.

Roopa had filed a petition before the court seeking quashing the case against her.

The single-judge bench of the High Court headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna opined that official communication of letters between individuals will not amount to defamation while giving the order.

"The factual happenings in the prison were highlighted, and what was being spoken about was only a caution. A pure official communication without it being referred to any other department cannot become the ingredient of IPC Section 499," the court stated.

The letter by Roopa had become a sensational news during the time of Congress government headed by Siddaramaiah. Both officers then challenged that the issue could be investigated to ascertain the truth.