New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- New Delhi 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".
The top court clarified that proceedings under Section 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) cannot be invoked unless it is proven that the rebuke was intended to provoke the subordinate to commit an offence or breach public peace, underlining that any other interpretation "may lead to gross misuse of liberty in workplaces". The offence, punishable with a jail term up to two years, has bee...