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Supreme Court of India 2025-04-17 allowed

Bench: 2 — K. V. Viswanathan, N. Kotiswar Singh

In Brief

A group of homebuyers in Mumbai erected a banner listing grievances against their developer, including failure to form a housing society, address construction defects, and resolve maintenance issues. The developer filed a criminal defamation complaint. The Magistrate and High Court issued summons, but the Supreme Court allowed the homebuyers' appeal and quashed proceedings. The Court held that peaceful, truthful consumer protest in temperate language falls within Exception 9 to Section 499 IPC and is protected by constitutional rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and association. The Court established that consumers have a corresponding right to peaceful protest, just as sellers enjoy commercial speech rights.

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Criminal Law Defamation Freedom of Speech and Expression Consumer Rights Constitutional Law Civil Procedure Criminal Procedure Right to Protest Exception to Section 499 IPC

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