HC Rules Media Discussions on Public Books Cannot Lead to Defamation Charges

The Kerala High Court ruled on Friday that media discussions about books available in the public domain cannot result in defamation charges. Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan made this ruling while dismissing a defamation case against Prakash and Nikesh Kumar, reporter and Chief Editor of a Malayalam news channel, respectively.

The case was filed by a follower of spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi in response to a program aired on February 18, 2014, which discussed a book about Mata Amritanandamayi published by a foreign. The court noted that discussing a publicly available book is within the media's rights and cannot be penalized by defamation suits unless the author or publisher is held accountable.

The judgment emphasized that restricting media discussions on such topics would violate freedom of speech. The court further noted that as long as neither Mata Amritanandamayi Math nor its followers are taking action against the book’s author, discussing the book cannot be deemed defamatory.

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