K.M. MATHEW vs K.A. ABRAHAM & ORS.

The Supreme Court ruled that under Section 7 of the Press & Registration of Books Act, 1867, only the Editor of a newspaper can be prosecuted for defamation under Section 500 IPC, and not other editorial staff such as Managing Editors or Resident Editors. The Court held that the appellants, being neither the Editors nor responsible for the libellous content, could not be held liable for the alleged offences. Consequently, the appeals were allowed, quashing the proceedings against the appellants.