Subramanian Swamy moves SC against Madras HC order allowing foreign firm to proceed with defamation suit in Singapore

Aug 14, 2023

New Delhi [India], August 15 : The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy challenging an order of the Madras High Court which allowed a firm to proceed with a defamation suit against him before the Singapore High Court.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta while issuing notice sought a response from a foreign trading firm, Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd, on the appeal filed by Swamy and posted the matter for hearing after six weeks.
The appeal was filed by Swamy against the April 18 order of a division bench of the High Court which set aside an interim injunction granted against the company by a single judge in 2014.
High Court had allowed the firm to proceed with a defamation suit against Swamy before the High Court of Singapore.
Swamy in a press conference in New Delhi on April 26, 2012, had reportedly commented on the alleged irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation and the Aircel-Maxis deal.
Advantage Strategic Consulting Private Limited had taken objections to the allegations and issued a legal notice to him. Later, its Singapore subsidiary of the same name initiated the impugned defamation proceedings in the Singapore High Court.
In 2014, a single-judge of the Madras High Court restrained the firm from filing a defamation suit in Singapore against Swamy. However, in April this year, a division bench of the High Court set aside this injunction order.
Swamy has now challenged the division bench order of the High Court before the apex court.
Earlier, Swamy had filed a contempt of court petition in the top court, saying he could not be dragged to courts for having filed 2G-related cases in the apex court. This petition was dismissed on September 10, 2013.