The court
19 June 2012. A Delhi court has ruled that exposing corruption is “for public good” and news article written for the same purpose without any “ulterior motives” cannot be termed as libelous. The court said this while absolving an editor and a co-editor of a local weekly of the charges of causing defamation.
The court said the first exception to section 499 of the IPC (defamation) requires seeing whether the imputation is for public good and adding that exposing corruption “certainly” falls under that category.
If the expose is made with ulterior motive it is necessary for the complainant to prove that.
“Exposing corruption of the government department is certainly for public good. It is the duty of every responsible citizen to expose corruption.”
“There may be certain cases where an individual or any other body of individual or corporate body exposes corruption for seeking revenge or for ulterior motives. In such cases the ulterior motives have to be proved by the complainant,” said Metropolitan Magistrate Rajinder Singh.
