NLU-Delhi Professor Summoned In Criminal Defamation Case Filed By Former Registrar Prof. GS Bajpai

A Delhi Court has summoned Jeet Singh Mann, a professor working at the National Law University Delhi, in the criminal defamation suit filed against him by the University's former Registrar- Professor GS Bajpai. 

Bajpai is presently working as Vice Chancellor at the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law Punjab.

Metropolitan Magistrate Pranat Kumar Joshi observed that there were sufficient ground to proceed against Mann for the offence of Defamation, punishable under Section 499 of the IPC.

"Accordingly, the accused Jeet Singh Mann be summoned on filing of PF by the complainant for facing trial of the above said offence. PF be filed within 15 days from today," the Court said while posting the matter for further hearing on November January 12, 2022.

According to the complaint filed by Bajpai, Mann in order to tarnish his image actively posted defamatory posts harmful to his reputation on social media namely Facebook through his registered account on a page titled as Transparency and Accountability in Governance.

In one such Facebook post dated 11.05.2018, Bajpai alleged that Mann unequivocally targeted him and his daughter namely Mehak Bajpai, working as Research Associate in the same University.

Going through the facts of the case, the judge was of the view that Bajpai, being the Registrar of a prime institution of law, unarguably enjoyed a high reputation in the society.

"In the instant matter, the facebook posts published in a group created by the proposed accused were posted by him so that the same may be read by persons other than the person defamed," the Court said. 

"If any person from NLU, Delhi reads the content published by the alleged person, it would be a no brainer for anyone to associate the complainant and daughter with the persons against whom such imputations have been made for the reason that the complainant is the registrar and his daughter was enrolled in the Ph.D course after not being able to make it in her first attempt," it added. 

The Court also considered the deposition made on behalf of Bajpai's daughter saying that such imputations were frequently reported in media like Bar and Bench and Live Law as a consequence of which even she had to face ostracization within the academic community.

"In the opinion of this court, such that it would lower the esteem of complainant in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society," the Court said.

Click Here To Read Order