22 years later, Bengaluru-based editor jailed for story on babu

BENGALURU: The Upparpet police on Friday arrested Ravikumar, editor, printer and publisher of a fortnightly journal Parival Pathrike, who had been convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment by the 5th Additional Metropolitan Magistrate, Bengaluru. BA Harish Gowda, a retired IAS officer, while working as the Director of Pre-University Education Department in 2000 had filed a private complaint in the court against Ravikumar for committing the offence of printing and publishing false and defamatory articles.

In 2002, the trial court sentenced Ravikumar to undergo one-year imprisonment along with a fine. In the judgment on October 18, 2004, the District and Sessions Court upheld the conviction and sentence. In 2013 the HC had set aside the said judgments and remanded the case to the trial court for further cross-examination of complainant witnesses.

On  August 30, 2017, the trial court sentenced Ravikumar to six months imprisonment and a fine. In the appeal filed by Gowda, District and Sessions Court enhanced the sentence to nine months. In May 2022, order, the HC limited the sentence to six months on the ground that in a private complaint, a complainant cannot seek enhancement of punishment. Consequently, Ravikumar was arrested.