Akin Gump - Excubitor (JD Supra India)

On May 13, 2016, the Indian Supreme Court issued a landmark verdict rejecting a series of petitions that challenged the criminal defamation provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on the basis that they violate free speech guarantees in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled that freedom of speech must be balanced by an individual’s “right to reputation.”

India’s Supreme Court settled a long-standing debate on May 13, 2016, by holding that India’s criminal defamation law is valid under India’s Constitution.