Sarjoo Prasad, J.

1. This is an application for quashing or, in the alternative, for transfer of a criminal prosecution pending against the petitioners. Petitioner No. 1, Deobrat Shastri, is said to be the Chief Editor of a daily Hindi newspaper called Navarastra. Petitioner no. 2, Sumangal Prakash, is the Editor of that paper which is printed and published at Patna. In the Dak Edition of that paper dated 30th November 1949, the following news was published:

"Begusarai Samachar--Tin Uazar man Chawal Barbad Karne ka Prayatan--Tin Mahine se Begusari ke kote ka karib tin Hazar man Arwa Chawal Begusarai men akar Para bai. Par ab tak uske bitaran ke liya adhikarion dwara koi prayatan nahi kia ja raha hai. Kaha jata hai ke ukta chawalke stockist Sthanlva Mulya Niyatran ke kramchariyon ko apne ptabhav men lakar ukta chawal ka bitran karne men janbujh kar deri karwarahe hain, jisme kuch aur samaya bit jane par ukta chawalko kharab ghosit kara kar use free sale men beche jane ki anumati prapat kar saken Smatan re be ki ukta chawal ke control dar karib 28 rupeya man hai tatha chor bazar dar katib chalis rupeya man hai."

The English literal rendering of the above quotation would be as