Tweets on Jaya: SC stays proceedings against Swamy in 3 cases

In a relief to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed criminal proceedings in three defamation cases recently filed by the Tamil Nadu government against him for allegedly making certain comments against Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in his tweets.

"Having heard Subramanian Swamy in person and Nageshwar Rao, senior counsel for the state of Tamil Nadu, it is directed that the proceedings in criminal case nos. 45/2014, 46/2014 and 27/2015 pending in the court of the principal sessions judge, Chennai, shall remain stayed," a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant said.

Earlier, Swamy had moved an application seeking quashing of six defamation complaints lodged against him for allegedly making some comments against Jayalalithaa in his tweets.

In the fresh plea, he had given details of the six criminal defamation cases pending against him in the court of the principal district and session judge at Chennai and said these have been instituted by the city public prosecutor.

Recently, the bench had reserved a verdict on a batch of petitions filed by persons like Swamy, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging the validity of penal laws on defamation.

The court, on different occasions, had stayed criminal proceedings against Gandhi and Kejriwal also.

Defamation cases were filed against Swamy by the Tamil Nadu government after he had allegedly made certain allegations against Jayalalithaa on social sites.

The court, on October 30 last year, had stayed proceedings in criminal defamation cases filed against Swamy in Tamil Nadu.

Image: Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa