The Kerala High Court has quashed proceedings before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-I, Thiruvananthapuram, in a defamation case filed by dancer Kalamandalam Satyabhama against Mohiniyattom dancers R.L.V. Ramakrishnan and U. Ullas.

A Bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath quashed the case following a petition filed by the two dancers. Ms. Satyabhama had alleged that Mr. Ramakrishnan recorded a phone conversation he had with her, and edited and published it in a different media.

The dancers edited and posted it on social media platforms, an act punishable under Sections 500 (punishment for defamation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, she contended.

Refuting this, the dancers contended that they cannot be prosecuted since the alleged defamatory statements had not been reproduced in the complaint, nor did the petitioners produce a copy of the publication that contained the alleged defamatory statements. Ms. Satyabhama’s counsel said the publication could be produced during trial.

The issue pertained to a dance contest hosted in Abu Dhabi by a Malayali association, where Ms. Satyabhama was a judge. Contestants whom Mr. Ramakrishnan had trained did not win any prize, after which he telephoned her and questioned her on the propriety of her decision.

She reportedly told him that many of the ‘mudras’ of the contestants were wrong and that even experienced dance teachers committed mistakes. She approached the court, stating that the duo recorded the conversation and posted it on social media, portraying it as a statement against her dance ‘gurus’.

Since the complainant had failed to produce the alleged defamatory publication, the offence under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code cannot be attracted against the petitioners. Taking these into account, the court quashed further proceedings in the case.