In a relief to Union minister Smriti Irani, the Delhi High Court Wednesday quashed the criminal defamation proceedings against her, initiated on a complaint by Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, saying continuing the prosecution would be an abuse of process of law. It however dismissed Nirupam's plea, seeking the quashing of summons issued by a trial court against him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by Irani.

Both the complaints arose out of the same incident which occurred during a TV debate on analysing poll results in 2012. Justice R K Gauba, who gave two separate verdicts, did not mention the actual names of Irani and Nirupam in the judgment and cause list. While Irani was referred as 'PQR' in the judgment, Nirupam was addressed as 'XYZ'. "The petitioner and the second respondent have been in public life for quite long, engaged in active politics and associated with the political parties that generally have been seen to be opposed to each other.