Defamation MCQs with Answers

Read Assertion I and Reason II and point out the correct explanation:

Assertion I: Publishing a report of proceedings of a Court will not amount to defamation.

Reason II: It is an exception to the principle of defamation.

Under the common law of torts, a defamatory statement that is a civil wrong only, except where the words are also blasphemous, seditious, obscene or amount to a contempt of Court, is called:

Principle: The tort of defamation is said to have been committed when
(a) a statement has been made publicly,
(b) such a statement is directly or indirectly pointed at a person or persons,
(c) it should cause harm to the reputation of the person about whom it is made. However, there is no defamation in the following cases: (a) When the statement made is the truth or (b) when the statement is in the form of a fair criticism of a published book or a review of a movie.

Facts:

i) Fred catches Velma, his classmate, in the act of stealing mobile phones from people's bags. The next day he announces to the entire class to keep their mobile phones safely as Velma is a thief.

ii) Shaggy calls for an apartment meeting. In front of the members gathered, he makes the following statement "Scrooge's wife has left him as he is poor and ugly, so it is better to remove him from the apartment".

iii) Daphne, a reputed Book Reviewer, reads the book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" authored by J.K. Rowling. She publishes a book review in a teenage magazine, stating that the 'Fifth Harry Potter book is a bit dry and monotonous. It fails to grasp the complete attention of the reader and is not as interesting as the previous four books.'

iv) A gathering of 50 people is called in which 48 people belong to the General Category and 2 belong to the Scheduled Caste category. The Chairperson of the meeting announces, without naming anyone, that 'People belonging to the lower or backward class should be made to sit separate and not touch our belongings, lest they become dirty and impure'.

Determine whether there is defamation in any of these situations.

Defaming someone by words or by gestures is called in Torts as :

For defamation, a tort

The statement that a lady has given birth to a child. It is a :

Under the Indian law

Which element is not required in the tort of defamation?

Which of the following defences are available to an action for defamation?

Which one of the following is not an essential element of the defence of fair comment in tort of defamation?