New Delhi: Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor on Monday (September 9) moved the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court refusing to quash the defamation proceedings against him over his alleged “scorpion on Shivling” remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought an urgent hearing.
A lawyer requested CJI-headed bench for an urgent hearing on Tharoor’s plea on Tuesday
A lawyer requested a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud for an urgent hearing of Tharoor’s plea on Tuesday, as he has been directed to appear before the trial court on Tuesday itself in connection with the defamation case.
CJI Chandrachud told the lawyer to circulate an e-mail and he will look into it.
High Court refused to quash defamation proceedings against Tharoor
The High Court refused to quash defamation proceedings against Tharoor, saying that his alleged “scorpion on Shivling” remarks targeting Prime Minister Modi not only defamed the Prime Minister Modi but also the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and also obliquely hurt the Hindu sentiments.
Tharoor had moved the High Court seeking quashing of trial court’s April 27, 2019 order summoning him as an accused in the criminal defamation complaint as well as quashing of the complaint filed by BJP leader and complainant Rajiv Babbar.
What did Tharoor allegedly say?
Tharoor, while speaking at Bangalore Literature Festival in 2018, allegedly said, “… and this personality cult has not sat very well with many in the RSS establishment. There’s an extraordinarily striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed RSS source to journalist …….which I quote here, in which they express their frustration with their inability to curb Mr. Modi, And the man says, “Mr. Modi”, he says is like a “scorpion sitting on a Shivling; you cannot remove him with your hand, and you cannot hit it with a chappal either.”
What did complainant Babbar say?
Complainant Babbar, has said that the imputation have been made defaming Prime Minister Modi, hurting the sentiments of crores of devotees of Lord Shiva, both in India and outside the country outraging their religious beliefs, apart from lowering down the credit and image of the complainant (Babbar), RSS, as well as tarnished the image of BJP, its leaders, supporters and workers in the eyes of general public.