Judgment

RAY, J.:- This appeal is by special leave from the judgment of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana dated 26th May, 1967.

2. The High Court upheld the conviction of the appellant under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to three months simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 1000/- and in default thereof a further simple imprisonment for three months.

3. The case started on a complaint filed by Bishan Kaur on 23rd October, 1963. The complaint was that the appellant Chaman Lal who was at that time President of Municipal Committee, Sujanpur in the District of Gurdaspur had made defamatory remarks against her character at a public meeting held at Sujanpur on 29th July, 1962 and that he further wrote a letter on 2nd August, 1962 to the Civil Surgeon, Gurdaspur which contained defamatory statements against her character and further that on 27th August, 1962 the appellant repeated those defamatory allegations before the Civil Surgeon.

4. The appellant pleaded justification under Exceptions 1, 8 and 9 to Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code. The First Exception states that it is not defamation to impute anything which is true concerning any person, if it be