The Ernakulam Additional Chief Magistrate Court on Friday sentenced four members of the Sangh Parivar Janakeeya Samarasamiti to a day’s imprisonment in a defamation case filed by Hibi Eden, MLA.
They were also directed to pay a fine of ₹25,000 each to the MLA. The court found Abiju Suresh and three others of the samiti guilty of the offence under Section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and directed them to undergo “imprisonment for one day till the rising of the court.”
"Reputation damaged"
According to Mr. Eden’s complaint, the samiti members who were protesting against the construction of the Pachalam Railway over-bridge had circulated notices with defamatory statements against the complainant on March 3, 2015 at Pachalam. The statements, according to the complainant, had damaged his reputation.
The court also concluded that the accused had circulated the notice with the deliberate intention of harming the MLA’s reputation.
