The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed a criminal defamation complaint against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and former deputy chief minister of Bihar Tejaswi Yaday in an Ahmedabad court for his alleged offending remarks against the Gujarati community.

Quashing the case against Tejaswi Yadav for his remarks “only Gujaratis can be thugs”, a bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said, “We have quashed the case in view of the petitioner (Yadav) withdrawing his statements on record. Accordingly disposed of.”

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The top court came on a plea by Tejaswi Yadav seeking transfer of the criminal defamation complaint pending against him in an Ahmedabad court over his remarks on Gujaratis, from Gujarat to a ‘neutral place’, preferably Delhi.

In the earlier hearing of the matter, Yadav had told the bench that he had withdrawn his remark, and the same was taken on record by the court. The complaint against the RJD leader was filed by a Gujarat resident Haresh Mehta.

Haresh Mehta is vice-president of an NGO – All India Anti-Corruption and Crime Preventive Council. In the defamation case, he had said the statement was made in public and that calling the entire Gujarati community thugs defames and humiliates all Gujaratis in public.

The top court’s order quashing the defamation case came on the former Bihar deputy chief minister’s petition seeking transfer of the criminal defamation complaint filed by Gujarat resident Haresh Mehta.

Earlier, the bench had stayed the proceedings in the criminal defamation complaint.

In the last hearing of the matter on January 24, 2024, after Yadava leader Tejaswi told the top court that he had withdrawn the controversial remarks that “only Gujaratis can be thugs” made by him, the court had asked the complainant Haresh Mehta if the RJD leader’s prosecution was any longer necessary in the wake of his clear statement.

The top court had asked the advocate appearing for Haresh Mehta to take instruction. The Court had said, “The statement is very clear now, make up your mind now, why do you want to prosecute the complaint? He has withdrawn that part of the statement in which he has used certain expressions. So, what more remains now?”

Earlier, the bench had stayed the proceedings in the criminal defamation complaint and issued notice to Haresh Mehta who had filed it.

The complaint against Yadav was filed under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for alleged criminal defamation. The complaint was filed before a magistrate court in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Yadav, in his controversial remarks last year, had said, “Only Gujaratis can be thugs in the present situation, and their fraud (crime) will be forgiven. Who will be responsible if they abscond after they are offered the money belonging to the LIC and bank?”

In the defamation case, Mehta had stated that the statement was made in public and calling the entire Gujarati community thugs defames and humiliates all Gujaratis.