NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that one should be ready to receive unwarranted and unnecessary compliments upon entering politics.
The court observed while hearing a plea by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan against criminal defamation proceedings initiated against him by Chennai-based Murasoli Trust. Murasoli newspaper, published by the trust, is the mouthpiece of DMK, the ruling party of Tamil Nadu.
“Free speech issues, you have to have breathing space,” the bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said.
A complaint was lodged by Chennai-based Murasoli Trust against Murugan for his alleged defamatory statements during a press meet in December 2020.
During the hearing on Wednesday, the apex court told the complainant (trust), “When you enter politics, you should be ready to receive all sorts of unwarranted, unnecessary compliments.”
The counsel appearing for the trust responded that they were not in politics. The court further asked the counsel, “Are you willing to make a statement that you had no intention to defame?”
The counsel said persons holding office had to be responsible. The top court also stated that the petitioner (Murugan) made a statement without intending to hurt sentiments.
As the counsel sought time till Thursday to seek instructions, the apex court posted the matter for the next hearing on Thursday.
The court said, “The parties should fight the battles before the public,” with Justice Gavai adding that “nowadays, it is said in Maharashtra that if you have to be in politics, you must have the skin of a rhino.”
The apex court in September last year while staying the proceedings against Murugan had decided to hear his petition. The case against Murugan was pending in a special court in Chennai.
After the complaint was registered against Murugan in a Special court in Chennai, he moved the Madras High Court seeking the quashing of the case. The HC, however, refused to quash the case and dismissed Murugan’s plea forcing him to knock the doors of the apex court for relief. Murugan had approached the apex court last year challenging the Madras HC order of September 5, 2023, refusing to quash proceedings against him