IT News
Imphal, Sept 24:
The Supreme Court has stayed a defamation case filed by the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) and Editors Guild of Manipur (EGM) against the Editors Guild of India (EGI). The case was related to a fact-finding report by EGI on media coverage of the ethnic violence in Manipur, which AMWJU and EGM alleged was based on hearsay and motivated by bias.
The defamation charges were directed at three members of the EGI fact-finding team—Seema Guha, Sanjay Kapoor, and Bharat Bhushan—along with EGI President Seema Mustafa. The report accused media in Imphal of bias, labeling it “Meitei Media,” sparking legal action by the two Manipur-based media bodies.
The EGI’s team visited Manipur between May 3 and 6, 2023, on a crowd funded mission initiated at the Army’s request to examine the media’s reporting of the crisis. Following their brief visit, EGI published a report on September 2, 2023, which went viral and led to accusations from AMWJU and EGM of misrepresentation and defamation.
AMWJU and EGM issued legal notices demanding EGI amend its report, which the latter declined, leading to a criminal defamation case filed with the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Imphal East. The CJM issued an order on June 25, 2024, for the EGI members to appear by July 15, 2024.
In response, EGI members filed a writ petition with the Supreme Court, which stayed the defamation proceedings. The Apex Court has directed the State of Manipur, Union of India, and AMWJU President Bijoy Kakchingtabam to respond within three weeks.
The defamation case remains on hold as the Supreme Court continues to review the matter, with the AMWJU and EGM seeking legal action under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code for criminal defamation.
