Question:medium

Principle : Whoever by words publishes any imputation concerning any person is said to defame that person.
Facts : During a marriage ceremony, A circulated a pamphlet saying sister of the bride 'S‘ is a thief, she has stolen the shoes of the bridegroom.
This question consists of legal principle(s) (hereinafter referred to as ‘principle‘) and facts. Such proposition may or may not be true in the real and legal sense, yet you have to conclusively assume them to be true for the purposes of this section. Principles have to be applied to the given facts to arrive at the most reasonable conclusion. Only one of the alternatives, i.e., (A), (B), (C), or (D) is the most reasonable conclusion. In other words, in answering the following questions, you must not rely on any principle except the principles that are given herein below for every question. Further you must not assume any facts other than those stated in the question. The objective of this section is to test your ability in legal aptitude, study of law, research aptitude and problem solving ability even if the ’most reasonable conclusion‘ arrived at may be absurd or unacceptable for any other reason.

Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
  • A defamed S
  • A did not defame S
  • A defamed the bridegroom
  • A defamed the bride
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The Correct Option is A

Approach Solution - 1

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
We need to pin down which named individual the pamphlet's imputation actually concerns.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Apply the principle that defamation is an imputation concerning a person, and trace the accusation in the pamphlet to the person it is actually about.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The pamphlet says the sister of the bride, S, is a thief who stole the bridegroom's shoes. The subject of that accusation, the person the words are about, is S herself. The bride and bridegroom are mentioned only to identify S and describe the missing item, the theft accusation is levelled at S alone.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Since the imputation concerns S, A defamed S.
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Approach Solution -2

Work through this by eliminating the two people mentioned only in a supporting role, then deciding between what remains.

  1. A defamed the bridegroom: Eliminate this first, the bridegroom appears in the facts only as the owner of the stolen shoes, the accusation is not made about his own conduct.
  2. A defamed the bride: Eliminate this too, the bride is mentioned only to identify S as her sister, the theft accusation itself is not directed at the bride.
  3. A did not defame S: Between the two remaining options, this one requires ignoring that the pamphlet names S directly as the thief who stole the shoes.
  4. A defamed S: Once the others are eliminated, this is what remains, and it fits, since the imputation is squarely about S's alleged conduct.

Eliminating the two people who appear only in supporting roles leaves the person the accusation is actually about.

Therefore, the correct answer is A defamed S.

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