Supreme Court Chooses Kurian Joseph to Defuse High-Stakes Sindhuri–Moudgil Defamation Dispute
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
12, June, 2026-In a significant attempt to end one of Karnataka’s most publicised intra-service disputes, the Supreme Court on Friday referred the long-running defamation battle between IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri and IPS officer D. Roopa Moudgil to mediation, appointing former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph as mediator.
A bench comprising Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva observed that the dispute was better suited for mediation than prolonged litigation.
The hearing was marked by Justice Sharma’s striking observation: “Both of them are destroying each other’s careers.”
The Court directed both officers to appear before Justice Kurian Joseph and stayed all ongoing proceedings between them, creating a neutral environment for meaningful settlement talks.
“In the present case this court is of the opinion that the matter can be resolved by way of mediation. Justice Kurian Joseph, retired Supreme Court Judgeis appointed as the mediator. The parties shall appear before Justice Kurian Joseph. By way of interim relief, further proceedings in respect of both the cases between the parties shall remain stayed, The Court Ordered.
The dispute traces its origins to February 2023, when Roopa Moudgil allegedly made a series of social media posts accusing Sindhuri of failing to disclose certain immovable property in her mandatory asset returns. Sindhuri responded by filing both civil and criminal defamation proceedings.
Moudgil’s challenge to those proceedings failed before the Karnataka High Court, and the Supreme Court later encouraged a settlement, leading to the deletion of the controversial posts.
However, the conflict resurfaced when Moudgil filed a fresh criminal complaint in December 2024, alleging that Sindhuri had made derogatory remarks about her mental health.
A Magistrate took cognizance of the complaint, and the Karnataka High Court subsequently refused to quash the proceedings, holding that issues such as good faith could only be determined during trial.
With criminal proceedings pending against both officers and repeated settlement efforts yielding no result, the Supreme Court chose the path of reconciliation over adjudication. The appointment of Justice Kurian Joseph, a jurist widely respected for his integrity and conciliatory approach, reflects the Court’s desire to restore institutional harmony rather than deepen an already damaging conflict.
The Court’s intervention serves as a reminder that while litigation may resolve legal rights, it cannot always repair professional relationships.
By steering the parties toward mediation, the Supreme Court has sought not merely to settle a dispute, but to prevent two accomplished public servants from continuing a battle that has already consumed years of their careers and substantial judicial time.
Case Title: Rohini Sindhuri v. Roopa Divakar Moudgil | Diary No. 34613/2026 | Court: Supreme Court of India | Bench: Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva | Date of Order: June 12, 2026 | Mediator Appointed: Justice Kurian Joseph, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India | Interim Relief: Stay of all proceedings in both cases between the parties
