SYNOPSIS

SUBJECT: LAW OF TORTS

TOPIC: FORMS OF DEFAMATION
INTRODUCTION
Defamation is also termed as vilification, calumny or traducement meaning a wrongful
statement said in context to an individual, group of people, industry, company,
government, product, business, religion, nation or group in order to harm their reputation
or goodwill. Defamation is a civil wrong. Legal actions are taken against any kind of
defamation in order to retaliate the grounds of criticism made on them. In some civil law
jurisdictions, defamation is treated as a crime rather than a civil wrong. The United
Nations Commission on Human Rights ruled in 2012 that the criminalization of libel
violates freedom of expression and is inconsistent with Article 19 of the International
Covenant
on
Civil
and
Political
Rights.
Defamation contains two bodies libel and slander. When the defamatory words
are broadcasted or printed, it is said to be libel and when they are oral, it is said to be
slander. Here in defamation the public figures have to prove before the court that the
statement was said in a malicious intent in order to get a remedy.
Though in the present era of globalization, new ways have emerged
which will be further explained under the title of slander and libel of the tort of
defamation. Some of them are forms relating to web.

RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

The researcher will rely heavily on the cases of defamation to

demonstrate researchers hypothesis. And in the meanwhile rely on
various laws related to defamation

OBJECTIVE

OF

THE

PROJECT

Objective of the project is to analyze the different forms of the tort of defamation
that
prevail.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The project has been made with the help of primary as well as secondary sources like
book and web.

1)How

RESEARCH
far

is

tort

of

defamation

QUESTIONS
applicable

2)What is the main idea behind the tort of defamation?

in

our

society?

HYPOTHESIS
(i)The tort of defamation has a much wider sense but in certain societies
it is not effectively used due to lack of knowledge and other obstacles .
(ii)The main idea behind the tort of defamation is protection of peoples
reputation but in certain cases it is misused through

illegal means .

Defamation can emerge as an activeness of society in taking part in legal

considerations . So

its forms

should

be well

known

for

its

better

understanding .

LITERATURE REVIEW
1)Baker , Roy , Defamation law and society attitudes , Edward Elgar publishing , 01
january,2011 , pg no. 11-13
2)Tweed , Paul , Privacy and Libel law: The clash with Press Freedom , Bloomsbury
Professional , 2012 , pg no. 5-8
3)Watkins , Alan , A slight case of libel : Meacher v. trelford and others , Duckworth ,
1990, pg no. 1-4

SHOURYA RAJPUT
B.A. LLB.
SEMESTER I
SECTION B
ROLL NO. 2014116