The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday halted defamation proceedings against Dr Vikas Divyakirti, founder of the prominent civil services coaching institute Drishti IAS, in connection with remarks allegedly made during one of his lectures.
Justice Sameer Jain passed the interim order while hearing a plea filed by Dr Divyakirti seeking the dismissal of the defamation complaint pending before a subordinate court in Ajmer.
The complaint, lodged by an advocate, alleges that Divyakirti made defamatory statements regarding the functioning of the judiciary and the legal system. The Ajmer court had taken cognisance of the matter and issued a summons for Divyakirti to appear on July 22. He later sought exemption from personal appearance, after which the court rescheduled his appearance for August 2.
Represented by advocates V.R. Bajwa and Sumeer Sodhi, Dr Divyakirti argued that the comments in question were made in a private academic setting and were an exercise of his constitutionally protected right to free speech.
Speaking on the High Court’s ruling, advocate Sodhi said, “The case arises out of certain statements allegedly made by Dr Divyakirti during one of his lectures. Observing that such statements made in a closed environment cannot amount to defamation, the High Court has stayed all proceedings.”
The matter will now be considered further by the Rajasthan High Court, which has yet to issue a final verdict on the maintainability of the defamation complaint.
