The Delhi High Court recently called for journalist Swati Chaturvedi’s response to an appeal submitted by OpIndia. The appeal challenges a lower court’s decision mandating the removal of two contentious articles about Chaturvedi. This case, titled Aadyasi Media Vs Swati Chaturvedi, is now set for a hearing on August 20, as per the directive of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri.
The appeal by OpIndia contests an interim order issued by District Judge Meenu Kaushik from the Patiala House Court. In her ruling, Judge Kaushik demanded the removal of two articles titled “Swati Chaturvedi may be delusional-Sources” and “The Wire and its Star Journalist peddles another absurd lie about the RSS, and it is not for the first time.” Furthermore, the court restricted OpIndia from publishing any defamatory content against Chaturvedi while her defamation lawsuit is active.
OpIndia’s publications, dating back to 2018 and 2019, were claimed by Chaturvedi to have depicted her as “delusional” and accused her of “blatant lies and fabrications.” The articles allegedly sought to associate her with “extortion rackets,” which Chaturvedi argued tarnished her reputation as a respected journalist and public commentator by insinuating her involvement in misinformation and propaganda.
In its defense, OpIndia argued before the trial court that their articles were protected under the right to freedom of speech and expression. They claimed the articles were a fair commentary based on publicly available information. OpIndia also contended that mentioning Chaturvedi’s association with The Wire should not be deemed defamatory, highlighting her contributions to the publication.
Nonetheless, the trial court concluded that OpIndia did not substantiate the serious allegations made in the articles with adequate evidence. Judge Kaushik emphasized that the continued public availability of the articles could inflict irreparable harm on Chaturvedi’s reputation. Consequently, the court ordered OpIndia to refrain from publishing any defamatory material against Chaturvedi during the legal proceedings.
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Representing OpIndia in this matter is Senior Advocate J Sai Deepak, who continues to argue for the publication’s rights in this ongoing legal battle.
