India, June 15 -- The Supreme Court has referred the long-running defamation dispute between Karnataka cadre IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri and IPS officer D Roopa Moudgil to mediation, saying that the prolonged legal battle was damaging the careers of both senior civil servants.

A bench comprising Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Sanjeev Sachdeva on Friday appointed former Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph as sole mediator to facilitate an amicable settlement between the officers.

"Both of them are destroying each other's careers," Justice Sharma remarked during the hearing.

Passing the order, the bench said it was of the view that the dispute could be resolved through mediation rather than continued litigation.

"In the present case, ...