The Delhi High Court has rejected Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s plea against the defamation proceedings filed by BJP leader Rajiv Babbar over a controversial remark allegedly targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Plea Dismissed
Delhi High Court Dismisses Shashi Tharoor’s Plea in Defamation Case Over ‘Scorpion on Shivling’ Comment Proceedings to Continue
On Thursday, the court vacated its earlier stay on the criminal proceedings and ordered both parties to appear before the trial court on September 10. Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, delivering the verdict, found no sufficient grounds to quash the case. The defamation suit was filed following Tharoor’s comments at the 2018 Bangalore Literature Festival, where he quoted an anonymous RSS source who allegedly described Modi as “a scorpion sitting on a Shivling,” calling it a “striking metaphor.”
Defamation Case Filed by BJP Leader
Rajiv Babbar, who lodged the complaint, argued that Tharoor’s remarks had hurt the religious sentiments of Lord Shiva devotees. “I am a follower of Lord Shiva,” Babbar said, “and the accused’s statement deeply offended the religious feelings of many devotees of Lord Shiva, both in India and abroad.”
The complaint was filed under Sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as Babbar claimed that Tharoor’s comment was deeply disrespectful to Hindus.
Tharoor’s Defence and Criticism
Tharoor had appealed against the trial court’s 2019 summons, requesting that the defamation complaint, filed in November 2018, be quashed. He highlighted that the remark had been in the public domain for several years without any legal challenges.
Following the court’s summons, Tharoor questioned the legitimacy of the BJP’s pursuit of the case, noting that the original remark had been attributed to BJP leader Gordhan Zadaphia. In a post on social media platform X, Tharoor commented, “Would the BJP now like to summon their own leader, Gordhan Zadaphia, for the very remark I am being prosecuted for? It’s absurd that I’m being pursued for quoting words that have been public for over seven years with no prior legal action.”
