Reporting an Official Arrest Without Defamatory Intent Cannot Attract Criminal Case: Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court has quashed criminal defamation proceedings against the Chief Editor, Editor and Reporter of Malayala Manorama, holding that merely reporting an official arrest on the basis of an official occurrence report does not automatically amount to criminal defamation. The Court emphasised that the offence requires the necessary mens rea, meaning intention, knowledge or reason to believe that the publication would harm the reputation of the person concerned.…