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Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are:
That he was prosecuted by the defendant.
  • That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff
  • That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause.
  • That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact.
  • That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property.
    Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.
    • a)
      There was malicious prosecution in this case
    • b)
      There was no malicious prosecution in this case
    • c)
      Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedings
    • d)
      It cannot be determined
    Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
    Verified Answer
    Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsu...
    The principle clearly states the definition and essential ingredients of malicious prosecution. In the instant case, the defendant (Kaalia) had prosecuted the plaintiff now (Tenali). The proceedings had been decided in favour of Tenali but had been instituted without a reasonable/justifiable cause and with malice, such that Tenali had suffered damage to his reputation as a result. Thus, there was malicious prosecution in this case.
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    Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsu...
    Understanding Malicious Prosecution in This Case
    Malicious prosecution occurs when an individual is wrongfully subjected to legal proceedings without just cause. In the case of Tenali, the following points illustrate why there was malicious prosecution:
    1. Prosecution by the Defendant
    - Tenali was accused by Kaalia, Dharmodas's relative, leading to his arrest. This establishes the first element of malicious prosecution.
    2. Favorable Termination
    - The proceedings ended in Tenali's favor as he was acquitted of the theft charges, satisfying the requirement that the case must be resolved in favor of the plaintiff.
    3. Lack of Reasonable Cause
    - Kaalia's complaint was driven by personal animosity rather than factual evidence, indicating that there was no reasonable cause for prosecuting Tenali.
    4. Malicious Intent
    - The intention behind Kaalia's accusation was malicious, aiming to harm Tenali’s reputation rather than seeking justice. This aligns with the malicious intent criterion.
    5. Damage Suffered
    - Following the arrest, Tenali faced significant harm to his reputation and employment prospects, as word spread about the allegations, making it difficult for him to find work.
    Conclusion
    Given these factors, it is evident that Tenali experienced malicious prosecution. The combination of unfounded accusations, malicious intent, and resultant damage to his reputation confirms that the correct answer is option 'A'.
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    Paragraph:Notable for the reason that it is the rare tort where intention is of relevance; the tort of malicious prosecution takes place where a person motivated by malice or ill feeling brings about a false and frivolous case against another person in order to harass him by making him go through the rigours of litigation and court prosecution. There are certain ingredients of malicious prosecutionwhichare essential if a suit is to be maintained and for it to ultimately succeed. Malice and an intention to frame the person is essential. It could be any ill-feeling, vengeance, jealousy or intention to cause hardship or defamation, but the element ofintention is a must or even the intention of framing someone else to save oneself is enough intention.Where there is a genuine mistake, it will not be case of a malicious prosecution. In the case of Wyatt v White, the defendant discovered certain bags with the mark as his own and filed a charge of theft against the plaintiff in whose possession the bags were found. The plaintiff genuinely had a similar mark. The charge did not sustain, but the plaintiff sued the defendant for malicious prosecution. The court said itwas genuine mistake and as such the defendant was not motivated by malice, hence the suit did not succeed. However, a mere police complaint or institution of a case is not sufficient. It is important that the court process and prosecution must begin. In Ray v Bairagya, a criminal complaint was filed but was dismissed at inception. Since no proceeding had begun, the court did not recognise it to be a case of malicious prosecution.Q. Sanjay had hired Suneel for working in his law firm. All was well for the first eight months. After that, Suneel started being irregular to work. On being confronted by Sanjay, Suneel flipped and started shouting at Sanjay. Later on, he quit the job and was sued by Sanjay for the breach of the contract of employment. Suneel, in turn, while the proceeding in the earlier suit were ongoing, filed a case of malicious prosecution against Sanjay. Decide

    On August 14, 2020, the Supreme court found Prashant Bhushan guilty under the contempt of courts act, 1971, for two social media posts in June for, it said had “the effect of destabilising the very foundation” of India’s judiciary. Sentencing was set for August 20. On August 19, Bhushan filed an application seeking to defer the sentencing hearing until a review petition is filed and considered. According to section 2( c) of The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, criminal contempt means the publication (whether by word, spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwis e) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which- Scandalizes or tends to scandalize, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any court, or Prejudices or interferes or tends to interfere with the due course of any judicial proceeding. Thus, from the abovementioned definition, it can be ascertained that there are three important essentials to constitute criminal contempt: Firstly, Publication of any matter-The word publication has been given a very wide meaning so far as contempt of court is concerned. It includes words (spoken/written), signs and visible representation, Secondly, Scandalizing or lowering the authority of the court -scandalizing might manifest itself in various ways but in substance, it is an attack on individual judges in particular or the court as a whole, with or without reference to a particular case, by casting unwarranted and defamatory aspersions upon the character or the ability of the judges and lastly, Prejudice or interference with the due course of any judicial proceeding - Any publication which prejudices or interferes with the due course of any judicial proceeding would amount to criminal contempt of court. The defences against Criminal Contempt are- Innocent publication and distribution of matter, fair and accurate report of judicial proceedings, fair criticism of judicial act, bonafide complaint against the presiding officer of a subordinate court and defamation of the judge in personal capacity and not interfering with the administration of justice.Q. Gopal, a lawyer was of the view that the new law in relation to citizenship was against the fundamentals of the constitution of the country. He penned down an open letter sharing his opinion and criticising the new law. Will he be liable for contempt to court?

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    Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
    Question Description
    Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? for CLAT 2024 is part of CLAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the CLAT exam syllabus. Information about Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for CLAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?.
    Solutions for Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for CLAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for CLAT Exam by signing up for free.
    Here you can find the meaning of Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Principle: Malicious prosecution is the malicious institution of unsuccessful criminal or bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings against another without reasonable or probable cause. The main ingredients for action for malicious prosecution are: That he was prosecuted by the defendant. That the proceeding complained was terminated in favour of the present plaintiff That the prosecution was instituted against without any just or reasonable cause. That the prosecution was instituted with a malicious intention, that is, not with the mere intention of getting the law into effect, but with an intention, which was wrongful in fact. That he suffered damage to his reputation or to the safety of person, or to security of his property. Facts: Tenali used to work as a butler at Dharmodas’s house. Dharmodas’s relative Kaalia came to visit him for a few weeks. He never liked Tenali much. One day he lost his wallet in the market. Seeing an opportunity to trap Tenali, he went and complained to Dharmodas, saying that Tenali stole his wallet. Tenali was arrested on suspicion but was finally acquitted in the case. Dharmodas refused to employ Tenali again. Word about the case had spread, and no one was willing to employ Tenali due to the stigma of his having been arrested.a) There was malicious prosecution in this caseb) There was no malicious prosecution in this casec) Tenali did not suffer reasonable harm as a result of the proceedingsd) It cannot be determinedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice CLAT tests.
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