Overview

• A two-judge bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh told BJP leader Rajiv Babbar to consider closing his criminal defamation suit against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over the 2018 “scorpion sitting on a Shivling” remark
• The court extended the interim stay on trial court proceedings granted in September 2024, keeping lower-court action on hold as it weighs Tharoor’s appeal
• Justice Sundresh challenged the complainant’s counsel over seeking a “non-miscellaneous day” hearing, asking “Why do you want to be so touchy about all this?”
• Tharoor’s defence noted he was quoting a 2012 Caravan magazine article and argued the remark is protected as a good-faith statement under defamation law
• The Supreme Court posted the matter for further hearing on September 15, 2025, following its refusal to quash the case in August 2024 and the stay of proceedings in September 2024