On July 17, the Supreme Court of India issued a notice in response to a plea filed by actor-turned-politician S Ve Shekar challenging his conviction for sharing derogatory comments against a woman journalist on social media.
The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, also extended the interim protection from surrender that was earlier granted to Shekar.
The case stems from a 2018 incident where Shekar had shared an offensive and vulgar post on Facebook, targeting women journalists. Following this, multiple cases were filed against him, leading to his conviction in February 2024 by a Sessions Court in Tamil Nadu.
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He was awarded:
- 1-month simple imprisonment and ₹2,500 fine under Section 504 IPC
- 1-month simple imprisonment and ₹2,500 fine under Section 509 IPC
- 1-month simple imprisonment and ₹10,000 fine under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 2002
Shekar had approached the Madras High Court seeking to quash the proceedings, but the High Court refused to interfere with the conviction, stating that the message was forwarded with full knowledge of its contents and consequences.
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"Mere tendering apology itself would not be sufficient. When once the contents are released and it is also seen by various persons, certainly, the image of the de-facto complainant and other journalists would be degraded and subsequent tendering apology will not remove the image from the public," the High Court had stated.
It further clarified that once it is proven that the message was forwarded on Facebook, there was no need for a Section 65B certificate under the Indian Evidence Act.
Shekar's counsel argued before the apex court that there were serious lapses in the investigation and that the original message was never produced during the trial. He also claimed no criminal intention or mens rea in sharing the message.
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In March 2025, the Supreme Court granted interim protection from surrender. Later, when Shekar requested more time to reach out to the complainant with an unconditional apology, the Court extended this protection.
On July 17, Advocate Balaji Srinivasan, appearing for Shekar, informed the Court:
“I can't contact her. So I reached out through friends. I sent a detailed letter giving unconditional apology. I'm in your lords' hands.”
Taking note, the Supreme Court issued notice and continued the interim protection.
Case Title: S. Ve. Shekar vs. The State of Tamil Nadu
SLP(Crl) No. 4548-4549/2025