The Supreme Court has advised IPS officer D Roopa Moudgil and IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri to resolve their long-standing dispute through mediation.
A Bench of Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Sanjeev Sachdeva observed that the matter could be settled amicably and appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph as mediator to facilitate talks between the two officers.
This court intervention follows a public fallout between two senior Karnataka officers over a series of Facebook posts that erupted over three years ago. This led to defamation cases, demands for ₹1 crore in damages and repeated scrutiny by the country's highest court.
When did the row begin?
The dispute began in February 2023 when Sindhuri discovered a series of Facebook posts made by Moudgil. These posts allegedly accused Sindhuri of sharing her private photographs with fellow IAS officers.
These allegations fast spilled into the public domain, sparking a bitter and highly publicised exchange between the two officers. The controversy escalated to such an extent that the Karnataka government eventually transferred both officers.
Following the public dispute, Sindhuri issued a legal notice to Moudgil, seeking an unconditional apology and demanding Rs 1 crore in damages. She claimed the allegations had harmed her reputation and caused mental agony.
The dispute soon moved to the courts
In March 2023, a Bengaluru court took cognisance of Sindhuri's criminal defamation complaint and initiated proceedings against Moudgil. The IPS officer subsequently approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to have the case quashed, reported Bar and Bench.
The high court, however, refused to intervene, holding that the allegations required a full-fledged trial.
Supreme Court intervenes
Moudgil then moved the Supreme Court in December 2023. During hearings before a Bench led by Justice Abhay S Oka, the Court repeatedly expressed concern over the public nature of the dispute, noting that such conduct between senior civil servants could have wider implications for governance and administrative functioning, the Bar and Bench report added.
At that time, the Supreme Court stayed the criminal defamation proceedings and directed both officers not to speak to the media about the matter. It also encouraged an amicable resolution, suggesting that Moudgil delete the social media posts and consider issuing an apology.
Again on Friday, a Bench of Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Sanjeev Sachdeva was hearing a petition filed by Sindhuri challenging a Karnataka high court order, when the court upheld a trial court's decision to take cognisance of a defamation complaint filed by Moudgil.
Expressing concern over the years-long dispute, the Bench observed that the officers were damaging each other's professional standing by continuing the legal fight.
“Both are excellent officers. They are ruining each other's career…This court is of the opinion that the matter can be resolved by way of mediation,” the Court said.
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