K. RAMAKRISHNAN, J.

1. Defendants in O.S. 369/1995 on the file of the Sub Court, Sulthan Bathery and appellants in A.S. 13/2000 of Additional District Court (Adhoc), Kalpetta are the appellants herein.

2. The suit was one filed by the plaintiff for compensation for the defamatory publication made by the appellants against the respondent herein to the tune of Rs.50,000/-. The case of the plaintiff in the plaint was that, she was working as a police constable in Thirunelli Police Station at the relevant time. The defendants are the editor, printer and publisher of Rashtra Deepika Ltd., a daily published from Kottayam having circulation in several parts of Kerala including at Wayanad. She is having good reputation. Apart from a responsible women police officer, she was engaged in other social activities in association with several organisations dealing with empowerment of women and uplifting the needs of tribal people in that locality, thereby she acquired a good reputation among the members of the society. The defendants had published a news item under the caption VERNACULAR MATTER in their daily dated 22.05.95 without ascertaining the truth of the events and the publication