JUDGMENT

C. P. Sen, J. - This is an application under sections 397/401 read with Section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 for quashing the proceedings in Criminal Case No. 96/82 against the applicants for the offence under section 500 Indian Penal Code pending in the Court of Judicial Magistrate, First Class, Jabalpur.

2. Applicant No. 2 is the Editor and/Publisher for fortnightly Hindi magazine Sarita Published from New Delhi, having wide circulation. In the two issues of September 1981 (Nos. 633 and 634) an article written by the applicant No. 1 was published under the caption 'Tulsi Ke Ram' criticising Tulsidas for depicting Ram, the here of the epic 'Ramayana', in such a manner that though Ram was intended to be an incarnation of god, he was shown as an ordinary mortal with all the human weaknesses, with the result that it has not served the interests of Hindu society. The non-applicant claims himself to be a traditionalist Hindu, a scholar, a teacher and a devotee of 'Shri Ram', as depicted in by Tulsidas in 'Ramcharit Manas' and he has profound regard for Sant Tulsidas. He filed the present complaint under sections 500 and 505 Indian Penal Code alleging that the af