The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by the Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) challenging a Telangana High Court order that had quashed a defamation case against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy over his 2024 Lok Sabha poll campaign speech.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and Atul S. Chandurkar refused to interfere with the high court’s decision, remarking that political disputes should not be brought to the apex court.
“We are time and again saying don’t use this court for political battles. Dismissed. If you are a politician, then you should have a thick skin,” the bench observed.
In May 2024, the BJP’s Telangana unit, through its general secretary, filed a complaint against CM Reddy alleging that his campaign speech was defamatory and provocative. The party claimed that Reddy had falsely suggested that the BJP would abolish reservations if voted to power, thereby damaging its reputation.
In August 2023, a Hyderabad trial court held that a prima facie case of defamation was made out against Reddy under the (erstwhile) Indian Penal Code and Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which deals with promoting enmity between classes during elections.
Reddy subsequently moved the high court, arguing that political speeches, often marked by exaggeration, should not form the basis of criminal defamation cases.
On August 1, the Telangana High Court quashed the proceedings, observing that the complaint was not maintainable as it lacked proper authorisation from the BJP’s national leadership.
“Even if this court were to accept that the complainant is a part of the national unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party and may be treated as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the complaint is not maintainable for the lack of authorisation,” the court held.
The court also underscored that the threshold for initiating defamation cases against political speeches must be higher, noting: “Political speeches are often exaggerated. To allege that such speeches are defamatory is another exaggeration.”
Upholding the high court’s reasoning, the Supreme Court dismissed the BJP’s plea, reiterating that political battles should be fought in the political arena and not through litigation in the highest court.
