Lawyer Jailed for Defaming IPS Officer KMM Prasanna? Court Delivers SHOCKING Verdict!

MUMBAI: In a significant legal development, the Esplanade Metropolitan Magistrate Court has convicted lawyer Naveen Chomal for defaming IPS officer KMM Prasanna, currently serving as Inspector General of Police, Establishment. The court sentenced Chomal to one month of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000.

The defamation case originated from an April 2015 application filed by Chomal on behalf of former police constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe, who was arrested in a high-profile drug case involving Baby Patankar. Kalokhe was detained under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act after Marine Drive police seized approximately 112 kg of suspected mephedrone from his locker at the police station.

At the time of the incident, IPS officer KMM Prasanna was serving as an additional commissioner of police in Mumbai. The controversial application submitted by Chomal sought a direction for the police to interrogate Kalokhe only in the presence of a lawyer. It further mentioned that a Customs officer and Prasanna were being probed by the Satara police in connection with the drug case, a claim that Prasanna strongly refuted.

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In his complaint, Prasanna highlighted multiple news articles and television reports that referenced the defamatory statements made by Chomal regarding his alleged involvement in the drug seizure case. Prasanna argued that the lawyer’s imputations were false and damaging to his reputation.

Chomal defended his actions by asserting that the statements were made based on his client Kalokhe’s instructions and, therefore, he should not be held liable. However, Metropolitan Magistrate Hemant Joshi rejected this defence, emphasizing that as an officer of the court, the advocate should not have mentioned Prasanna’s name without substantiated proof.

The court noted that the Khandala police had already reported that Prasanna was not being interrogated for any involvement in the case. Additionally, media articles showed that the advocate submitted defamatory information without verifying its truthfulness. The court reiterated previous high court statements, stressing that an advocate is not merely a mouthpiece for a client and cannot commit acts that bring disrepute to public servants.

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Convicting Chomal for defamation, the court concluded that the lawyer knowingly published defamatory statements, thereby harming the reputation of IPS officer Prasanna. The court observed that Chomal did not limit his actions to filing the application in court but also disclosed its contents to the media, further exacerbating the defamatory impact.

As a result, Chomal was sentenced to one month of simple imprisonment and fined Rs. 5,000. This conviction serves as a stern reminder of the responsibility lawyers bear in ensuring that their actions and statements do not unjustly tarnish the reputations of individuals, particularly public servants dedicated to law enforcement.

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