Supreme Court Mandates Apology in Defamation Case Against Professor

The Supreme Court has directed Firoz Bakht Ahmed to offer an unconditional apology and pay Rs 1 lakh to Prof Ehtesham Ahmad Khan over false sexual predator allegations. The court highlighted the importance of thinking through consequences before making damaging statements.

The Supreme Court has issued a directive to Firoz Bakht Ahmed, former chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University, to extend an unconditional apology to Professor Ehtesham Ahmad Khan. This comes after Ahmed referred to Khan as a 'sexual predator' in public remarks.

Justices B R Gavai and P K Mishra, hearing the case, emphasized the gravity of Ahmed's allegations, suggesting that he should have considered the repercussions before making such severe claims. The court has instructed Ahmed not only to apologize but also to publish this apology prominently in the Daily Eenadu newspaper.

In addition to the public apology, the court has ordered Ahmed to compensate Khan with Rs 1 lakh as a gesture recognizing the emotional distress caused by the accusations. The demand draft for this amount is to be submitted within four weeks. This resolution follows an appeal by Ahmed against an earlier decision, which rejected his plea to quash ongoing criminal proceedings.

(With inputs from agencies.)