I first learnt about slapp when we released a study about
pesticides in colas. PepsiCo had filed a defamation case against
us in the Delhi High Court and our lawyer, fresh out of law
school in Bangalore, jumped as he read through the company’s
petition saying this was a classic slapp case. We were bemused,
knowing nothing about such legal intricacies. slapp, he
explained, was an acronym in the us for ‘strategic lawsuits
against public participation’. These are libel or defamation
cases filed by corporations against individuals and
institutions, supposedly to defend their honour and business.
The intention was to use the legal system to threaten,
intimidate and silence. But how, we asked. The companies who
file slapp cases rarely win in court, but achieve their real
objective to discourage others from speaking out. The
defendants, who are invariably individuals, spend huge amount of
time and money running to courts fighting the case. This
harassment discourages others from petitioning government on
public issu