Tewari favours decriminalisation of defamation

I&B Minister Manish Tewari today said he supported the demand for decriminalisation of defamation but compensatory damages should be appropriate and adequate.
"I am absolutely one with the media when they say that section 499 and 500 should be removed from the Indian Penal Code. I would be the first person to recommend that there should not be criminal penal provisions, with regard to defamation," Tewari said.
"But concurrently the tort of civil defamation has to emerge and there have to be compensatory damages which are appropriate and adequate in order to correct a wrong or harm, which has been caused."

Tewari, however, said that in his view, the case relating to Justice P B Sawant to some extent showed a direction.
"And I think to some extent the judgement in Justice Sawant's matter has to some extent shown the way," Tewari said.
In the case related to Justice Sawant, a TV channel had been asked to deposit Rs 100 crore in a defamation case. Tewari expressed these views while participating in a discussion on theme 'Media Regulation: Is status-quo the option?' organised by the Observer Research Foundation here.