Judgement

BACHAWAT, J.: The complainant Sarajit Kumar Bose was a forest ranger having his headquarters at Bara Bazar range in the district of Purulia. Bibhuti Bhusan Dasgupta was the editor and Ram Chandra Adhikari was the printer and publisher of "Mukti" a local Bengali weekly journal with its registered office at Purulia town. At the instance of Sripati Gope, a resident of Bhuni, P. S. Patanda, District Singhbhum they published a letter in the weekly issue of Mukti dated the 4th Asar, 1388 B. S. corresponding to June 19, 1965. The letter which bore the caption "Wild law in the land of the Nags (barbarians)", contained several defamatory statements concerning Sarajit Bose. On his complaint, Sripati Gope and Bibhuti Dasgupta were charged with an offence publishable under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code and Ram Adhikari was charged with an offence punishable under Section 501 I. P. C. They were tried jointly by Shri S. M. Chatterjee, Magistrate, First Class, Purulia. The Magistrate convicted all of them of the offences with which they were respectively charged, and passed appropriate sentences. The appeals filed by them against the order were dismissed by the Sessions Judge, Pur