Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 9: The 66th city civil and sessions court here which heard a libel suit filed by retired IAS officer, B A Harish Gowda, against Ravikumar, editor of a Kannada publication, 'Parivala', awarded nine months imprisonment and fine to Ravikumar.

Ravikumar from Attiguppe village in Kanakapura taluk had published defamatory articles in his 'Parivala' publication against Harish in 2000. Harish Gowda had filed a defamation suit against Ravikumar. The chief metropolitan magistate court which heard the case had imposed one year imprisonment to Ravikumar in 2002. The district court later upheld the judgement of the lower court. In 2014, the high court held this judgement in abeyance for technical reasons, and sent it back to the subordinate court for undertaking hearing again. The court which heard the case again handed down six months imprisonment to Ravikumar in 2017.

Ravikumar and Harish Gowda approached the district court against this judgement through appeals. Judge of the 66th additional city civil and sessions court, Katyayini, upheld the appeal filed by Harish Gowda and increased the imprisonment awarded to Ravikumar from six to nine months.