Court summons Smriti Irani as accused in defamation complaint

On Irani's complaint, the court had put Nirupam on trial under sections 500 (defamation) and 509 (uttering any word or making any gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC.

If convicted, section 500 of the IPC entails a simple imprisonment for two years or fine or both. Section 509 of IPC carries a simple jail term of one year or fine or both.  Irani, a Rajya Sabha member, had claimed in her complaint that Nirupam had allegedly questioned her credentials to analyse poll results given her background as a TV actress.  

Nirupam had allegedly made the remarks on December 20, 2012 during a debate on Gujarat assembly election results on a private news channel.

Irani had also recorded her statement before the court in connection with her complaint in which she had given details of the alleged derogatory remarks made by Nirupam.