A Karnataka court has ordered the police to initiate a criminal defamation case against IPS officer D Roopa Moudgil for allegedly publishing objectionable photographs and videos of IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri and accusing her of unethical behaviour. The order was given on Friday, March 24, by the 24th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in response to a private complaint submitted by Rohini. The orders were issued more than a month after the two officers had a public disagreement.
In court, Rohini testified that she saw a social media post on February 18 in which Roopa claimed that Rohini had participated in a “settlement” with JD(S) MLA Sa Ra Mahesh over official duties. Roopa questioned in her post why an officer was meeting with a politician and whether a compromise was being reached. Rohini denied the claims, calling them inaccurate and baseless. She went on to say that they had questioned her professionalism and accused her of corruption.
Rohini maintained that all of Roopa’s claims were false and intended to defame her character and reputation. She claimed that Roopa’s accusations were defamatory. The court took Rohini’s complaint into consideration and directed the police to file a criminal defamation case against Roopa under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code. The provision states that defamation is a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.
