NEW DELHI: In a significant legal victory for The New Indian, the Delhi High Court has directed 4PM Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Sharma, along with Sultan Siddiquey and Chandra Kumar, to delete their defamatory posts against The New Indian’s Executive Editor Rohan Dua. The court’s ruling comes after allegations were made suggesting Dua’s bias towards the ruling government, which potentially undermined his credibility as a journalist.
PM Modi Interview: Delhi High Court Orders 4PM’s Editor-In-Chief To Remove ‘Defamatory Tweets’ Against The New Indian’s Rohan Dua | @nupur_0111 @4pmnews_network @Editor_SanjayS @TheNewIndian_in @rohanduaT02 https://t.co/HpKvgFkYGc
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) July 30, 2024
The court noted that the posts insinuated partiality and bias, which could harm Dua’s reputation. “All three are also restrained from posting any defamatory material of the nature outlined in the aforesaid posts against Mr Dua or any material which tends to bring disrepute and tarnish the applicant’s goodwill and reputation,” the High Court stated.
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The High Court emphasized that the balance of convenience favoured Mr Dua, stating that he would suffer irreparable loss and injury if an interim injunction were not granted. The New Indian had highlighted that during the 2024 general elections, Dua interviewed PM Narendra Modi. Following this, on July 3, Dua posted on X (formerly Twitter) about a YouTube scam without naming individuals but sharing publicly available view counts for the top 10 YouTube channels during the election period.
India’s biggest scandal is taking place on @YouTube @YouTubeIndia with alleged involvement of 24 employees whose calls, imessages & Whatsapp calls with Youtubers are under lens on algorithm alteration.
We have moved High Court.
I WILL EXPOSE THEM FULLY. WHATEVER IT TAKES pic.twitter.com/8wceSCryQR
— Rohan Dua (@rohanduaT02) July 3, 2024
After the post, Dua faced trolling, with Sanjay Sharma sending a legal notice to The New Indian. Sharma and others then continued to troll Dua, damaging his professional reputation built over two decades. The court acknowledged the seriousness of these allegations on social media, noting their potential to compromise Dua’s integrity as a journalist.
The High Court concluded that Dua had established a prima facie case for the grant of an interim order of injunction against Sharma and others. This decision underscores the importance of maintaining the credibility and integrity of journalists against unfounded allegations on social media platforms.
