Won’t intervene in favour of Vyapam scam whistleblower on FIR: Supreme Court

Anand Rai faces case over alleged defamatory social media post against Madhya Pradesh CM’s Deputy Secretary

The court, at one point, said it could ask Vyapam Scam whistleblower Dr. Anand Rai to tender an unconditional apology. | Photo Credit: A.M. Faruqui

The Supreme Court on Monday did not intervene in favour of Vyapam scam whistleblower Anand Rai in an FIR registered against him over an alleged defamatory social media post against the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's Deputy Secretary.

A Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, however, gave Mr. Rai liberty to approach the High Court in the event any chargesheet was filed in the case.

The court noted that Mr. Rai was arrested and already on bail since April 9, 2022. Senior advocate P.S. Patwalia, appearing for the Under Secretary, said the accused had used derogatory words.

‘Political ambitions’

“I am the Under Secretary to the Chief Minister. I am a person of standing in the society. He cannot use such words and circulate them across social media. He was in the past associated with a political party and had political ambitions and hence deliberately did this," Mr. Patwalia argued.

The court, at one point, said it could ask Mr. Rai to tender an unconditional apology.

The petition, filed through lawyer Sumeer Sodhi, had challenged the April 4, 2022 order passed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur by which Mr. Rai's plea to quash the FIR in the case was dismissed.