Supreme Court Remarks on Need to Decriminalize Defamation in Plea by Retired JNU Professor Against The Wire

The Supreme Court has observed that the time has come to consider decriminalizing the offence of defamation while hearing a petition filed by a retired JNU professor against the Foundation for Independent Journalism, which runs The Wire.

The professor alleged that The Wire named him as the head of a committee that issued a 200-page dossier carrying derogatory remarks about the University.

The Court noted that India remains among the few democracies where defamation is a criminal offence under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, while most other countries provide only a civil remedy.