SC quashes defamation complaint against Tejashwi Yadav after he withdraws his ‘Gujarati hi thag hai ho sakta hai’ remark

Today (February 13, 2024), a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) quashed the criminal defamation complaint filed against Tejashwi Yadav, former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, over his remark ‘Gujarati hi thag hai ho sakta hai’ made during a media address. The bench comprising Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan quashed the complaint after the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader withdrew his remarks. It said, “We have quashed the case in view of the petitioner withdrawing his statements on record. Accordingly disposed of.” Today, the bench was hearing a transfer petition filed by the RJD leader under Section 406 CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) seeking the transfer of a criminal defamation complaint from Ahmedabad to Delhi or any other neutral place. The complaint was filed by the vice-president of All India Anti-Corruption and Crime Preventive Council, Haresh Mehta under Section 499 and Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code. While hearing the matter today, the bench addressed that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had filed an affidavit withdrawing his remarks; therefore, it quashes the defamation case against him.