Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has alleged that the comedy show Jabardasth Katharnak Comedy on a vernacular television channel lowers the prestige of judges, lawyers and courts in the eyes of the public and creates an impression that the litigant public does not get justice.
Though the court quashed criminal proceedings, it has observed that describing lawyers in the manner done reduces the dignity and decorum of courts and their officers, and the same would not only amount to defamation of lawyers as a group but also reduces the esteem of courts and judges.
Justice M Satyanarayana Murthy was allowing a criminal petition moved by K Nagendra Babu, actor, and Ms K Roja actor-turned-politician, who are judges on the show, and Ms Anasuya and Ms Rashmi, anchors of the show, seeking to quash criminal proceedings against them pending at Additional Magistrate, First Class, Huzurabad, on the complaint of advocate Y Aruna Kumar and another.
The complaint stated that in a skit carried in episode No 75 of the show, the actors performed a sequence that insulted and defamed the legal profession and the decorum of court proceedings and lowered the image and dignity of the court in the eyes of the public.
The lawyer complained to the lower court that on viewing the episode he felt insulted and suffered mental agony. Based on the complaint, the lower court issued proceedings against the petitioners under Section 500 of IPC (punishment for defamation) and under Section 5B (1) and (2) (power to grant certificate) of Cinemato-graph Act, 1952.
While quashing the criminal proceedings against the petitioners, the judge said, “Till today, no law prohibits such programmes and various television channels are telecasting such shows unchecked. Unless certain guidelines are framed for telecasting such programmes, to have a check on such programmes, by telecasting such programmes, channel operators would cause further damage to reputation of judicial institutions.”
