The Supreme Court has once again urged senior civil servants, IPS officer D Roopa Moudgil and IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri, to resolve their long-standing defamation dispute through mediation, observing that the continuing litigation could adversely affect their professional careers and public service.

A Bench of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva was hearing a petition filed by Rohini Sindhuri challenging the Karnataka High Court's decision that upheld a trial court order taking cognisance of a criminal defamation complaint filed by D Roopa Moudgil.

Expressing concern over the prolonged public feud between the two officers, the Court remarked that both are accomplished officers whose ongoing legal battle is causing unnecessary damage.

"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 Bench observed.

To facilitate an amicable resolution, the Supreme Court appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph as mediator and requested him to explore the possibility of a settlement between the parties.

Background of the Dispute

The controversy dates back to February 2023, when Rohini Sindhuri alleged that D Roopa Moudgil made several allegations against her through Facebook posts. According to Sindhuri, the posts accused her of sharing private photographs with fellow IAS officers.

The allegations sparked a widely publicised exchange between the two senior officers, drawing significant media attention and ultimately leading the Karnataka government to transfer both officers.

Sindhuri subsequently issued a legal notice seeking an unconditional apology and ₹1 crore as damages for alleged harm to her reputation and mental distress.

In March 2023, a Bengaluru court took cognisance of Sindhuri's criminal defamation complaint against Moudgil. Although Moudgil challenged the proceedings before the Karnataka High Court, her plea for quashing the case was rejected, with the High Court holding that the allegations required a full-fledged trial.

Supreme Court's Earlier Intervention

The dispute had previously reached the Supreme Court in December 2023. At that stage, a Bench led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay S. Oka expressed concern over the public nature of the conflict and observed that such disputes between senior civil servants could negatively impact governance and administrative functioning.

The Court had stayed the criminal defamation proceedings and directed both officers not to make public statements or interact with the media regarding the dispute. It also encouraged an amicable settlement, suggesting that the contentious social media posts be deleted and an apology be considered to bring closure to the matter.

However, despite several attempts, mediation efforts failed as the parties could not arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution. Sindhuri maintained that the allegations had caused serious and irreversible damage to her reputation and was unwilling to compromise on her claims.

With the dispute still unresolved, the Supreme Court has now made another attempt at mediation by appointing Justice Kurian Joseph, signalling its preference for a negotiated settlement over prolonged litigation.