14 Dec 2023 10:06 AM GMT
The Supreme Court on Thursday (December 14) asked IPS officer D Roopa to delete her social media posts against IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri by tomorrow. If it is impossible to delete all the posts, she should at least put up a post that she was withdrawing all her comments against Rohini Sindhuri, the Court added.
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal made this oral direction while hearing a petition filed by Roopa seeking to quash a criminal defamation complaint filed by Sindhuri.
The two Karnataka officers were involved in a public spat earlier this year, after Roopa shared certain personal pictures of Sindhuri on social media and made corruption allegations against her. Sindhuri later initiated civil and criminal proceedings against Roopa for defamation.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court had asked both the officers to resolve their disputes through mediation. But today, the Court was informed that the mediation failed. Both the officers were personally present before the Court.
The bench expressed its disappointment that the officers could not resolve their disputes amicably. "If IAS-IPS officers fight like this, how will the administration work?" Justice Oka wondered while saying that the matter would now be heard on merits.
Sindhuri told the bench that Roopa had carried out a "character assassination" against her through social media posts. "How can she bring my family into this?... How can I work in the State?" she said.
The bench asked Roopa if she was investigating any corruption allegations against Sindhuri. When Roopa replied in the negative, Justice Oka asked her, "How are you concerned with the allegations made by someone which are being probed by somebody else? What business you have to make allegations when it is a matter for trial?".
The bench asked Roopa to remove the objectionable posts within 24 hours.
"We want to bring an end to the whole dispute. That is the only reason that we are hearing it. Don't be under the impression that we are entertaining your petition or trying to hold in your favour. No. We are not doing that. We are doing it for the sake of the administration of the State", Justice Oka told Roopa.
"Both of them must understand that in this Court, there is no place for emotions... maybe today, both of them are agitated. But if it continues after ten or fifteen years, they will realise that they have wasted a lot of time and energy. Both of them will blame themselves" Justice Oka added.
Justice Oka said that Roopa must file an affidavit tomorrow detailing what kind of posts have been deleted and if for some reason, she could not delete the posts, at least one post should be made clarifying that whatever has been said against Rohini has been withdrawn.
Case Details : D Roopa v. Rohini Sindhuri Diary No. 43749-2023