New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- A senior's reprimand at the workplace does not amount to an "intentional insult" warranting criminal proceedings against the former, the Supreme Court has ruled, emphasising that interpreting penal provisions otherwise would have "disastrous consequences crippling the entire disciplinary atmosphere required in the workplace".
A bench comprising justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta delivered this ruling while quashing a 2022 case against the officiating director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), who was accused of insulting an assistant professor.
"It is a reasonable expectation on the part of a person who caters to the affairs at the helm that his juniors should attend to their professional duties...