NEW DELHI: In a big win for The New Indian Executive Editor Rohan Dua, the Delhi High Court on Monday ordered removal of slanderous, abusive and objectionable posts by several social media influencers against him on X and Instagram (Meta) for deriding his interview with the Olympic hero Manu Bhaker that was aired on the portal www.newindian.in and several social media intermediaries on August 14.
Delhi HC judge Justice Navin Chawla gave more than three dozen such handles one-week deadline to delete these inflammatory posts.
Should they fail to comply, X Corp (formerly Twitter) and Meta will be required to block the content, the order said.
This order follows suit filed by Dua’s legal team.
“This judgment by the Honourable Delhi High Court is a strong rebuke to those who, driven by vested interests, sought to undermine my or my colleague’s editorial commitment and the professional and dispassionate journalism of The New Indian. My colleague and I have always upheld the values of probity, neutrality, and honesty in our work ethics to serve civil society through our journalistic endeavors, and we will continue to practice this through our journalistic and editorial content,” said Aarti Tikoo, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of The New Indian.
Tikoo also recalled her own legal victory against Twitter during the pre-Musk regime, when Vijaya Gadde and Parag Agrawal attempted similar unlawful tactics in cahoots with individuals harboring anti-India sentiments to silence her voice.
Dua, who pursued legal action against more than three dozen accounts that either shared a similar ideological stance against India or used slurs to target him over his innocuous interview with Bhaker, said this is a victory for truth.
“As a young reporter who traveled with a backpack to report on India’s policies, counterterrorism, financial irregularities, and internal security, I have always rallied behind the Tricolour and the spirit of unity. However, in this quest, there are those who plot, connive, and scheme to derail our efforts at every turn. I will relentlessly expose them as I continue to practice unbiased journalism to serve society through my writings and multimedia video journalism at The New Indian,” said Dua.
Bhaker’s sports management team had approved the interview that was shared with them while the Olympian had liked the interview on X.
Yet, The New Indian discovered a malicuous attempt while coordinated attacks were used to disgracefully alter the clip and defame Dua by a cohort of handles.
Advocate Raghav Awasthi, who had in July won a similar repreieve for Dua against 4PM Youtube channel editor Sanjay Sharma for using defamtory posts, represented Dua in this case as well.
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Dua, the founder of The New Indian, interviewed Indian shooter Manu Bhaker after her impressive win of two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.
A brief clip from the interview went viral, showing Dua asking Bhaker about her and her mother’s photos with fellow Olympian Neeraj Chopra.
In the clip, Dua asked Bhaker: “This may seem like a trivial and awkward question, but since others have brought it up, I feel compelled to ask. I don’t intend to undermine your achievements, but the photos with Neeraj went viral. You’re considered one of the most attractive women in the history of Indian sports. Can we assume there was any chemistry, or was it just a moment caught on camera?”
Bhaker, who responded in full letter and spirit to all questions in the interview, told Dua she had known Chopra for a long time and considered him one of the top athletes in India.
Bhaker had answered questions cheerfully, including a rapid fire round where she said she would choose to court someone on the top of Eiffel Tower given a choice to opt between watching Netflix series Emily in Paris or vacation in Paris.
She had added that her mother is also fond of other athletes and treats them like her own children.
Delhi High court’s order has asked at least 39 such X handles and websites to delete these derisive posts on Dua.
Some of the X handles include @RoshanKrRali, Dr Nimo Yadav Commentary @niiravmodi, Abhishek Baxi @baxiabhishek, Harmeet Kaur K,: @iamharmeetK, Chaoticartist07: @kalakaryash07, Mirza Arif Beg: @Iammirzaarif, Vijaya Moorthy: @vmoorthynow,Shinjinee Majumder: @shinjineemjmdr (Alt News).
Instagram Handles directed to remove posts on Dua are buzzpedia.in, bebadass.in,timesapplaudtrends: bollyxxholly, love_school.
In his defamation suit, Dua argued that these comments not only attacked his professional integrity but also created a false narrative detracting from Bhaker’s accomplishments.
The suit was filed by Advocates Mukesh Sharma, Lohitaksha Shukla, Chandni Shah, and Dinesh Sharma, emphasized that the defamatory remarks were made without considering the full context of the interview, resulting in unwarranted damage to Dua’s reputation.
The suit seeks to prevent further dissemination of similar content by the social media accounts involved.