Khushboo criminal libel case stayed until further notice

The Indian Supreme Court has stayed proceedings in the criminal libel case that had been launched against the actress S Khushboo, pending a full hearing of the case on July 7.

The litigation arose out of comments that Kushboo had made about sexual morals in India, which were opposed by various groups who launched defamation cases against her, claiming that her statement that Indian girls were "coming out of their shells" was denigrating. A total of 23 cases were registered against her in courts all over Tamil Nadu, and the Madras High Court on April 30 refused to quash the cases, transferring them to a lower court for trial. Aggrieved by the Madras High Court order, the actress appealed to the Supreme Court claiming all the cases were false and were filed against her with the sole aim of getting political mileage and publicity.