Delhi High Court Issues Summons to Commentator Over Defamation Case Filed by Newslaundry Employees
Court Action Against Abhijit Iyer-Mitra
On Monday, the Delhi High Court summoned commentator Abhijit Iyer-Mitra in response to a defamation lawsuit initiated by female employees of the digital news platform Newslaundry. The case stems from Iyer-Mitra's sexually abusive comments directed at these employees, as reported by a legal news outlet.
Following a reprimand from the High Court, Iyer-Mitra removed the offensive remarks he had shared on social media between February and April.
During the court session, the judge paused proceedings to allow the plaintiffs' attorney to confirm their intention to proceed with the case. Once the attorney affirmed their decision, the court officially issued a summons to Iyer-Mitra.
The defamation suit was filed by nine Newslaundry employees seeking a public apology and damages amounting to Rs 2 crore from Iyer-Mitra, who is known for his columns at a pro-BJP media outlet.
The plaintiffs include Manisha Pande, Ishita Pradeep, Suhasini Biswas, Sumedha Mittal, Tista Roy Chowdhury, Tasneem Fatia, Priya Jain, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Priyali Dhingra. Newslaundry is also a co-plaintiff in this case.
During the hearing, Iyer-Mitra's lawyer, Percival Billimoria, informed the court that the controversial posts had been removed.
However, Bani Dixit, representing the Newslaundry journalists, contended that there was a lack of remorse from Iyer-Mitra, noting that he continued to engage with the content in a poetic manner.
Billimoria requested the court to dismiss the defamation suit and suggested an investigation into Newslaundry. The court clarified that the focus was solely on Iyer-Mitra's social media posts, stating, “We are only confined to the posts. If you have any other grievance, please take it up elsewhere.”
Billimoria also criticized Newslaundry, labeling it as a “highly insidious news channel” and accused it of making inappropriate comments regarding the Prime Minister's relationship with his Italian counterpart.
The court responded by emphasizing the boundaries of defamation, stating that when a post is deemed defamatory, the affected parties have the right to seek legal recourse.
In a previous hearing, the Delhi High Court had refused to entertain Iyer-Mitra's case until he removed the contentious posts from social media.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav warned that he would initiate a first information report against Iyer-Mitra if he failed to comply with the court's order to remove the posts.
Details of the Defamation Case
Newslaundry's lawsuit claims that Iyer-Mitra maliciously targeted the women employees through a series of derogatory social media posts.
The plaintiffs assert that Iyer-Mitra's comments were made with the intent to damage the dignity and reputation of the employees.
They argue that his remarks do not fall under the umbrella of free speech or journalistic critique, but rather constitute sexist slurs aimed at degrading women professionals.
Furthermore, they emphasize that these comments directly undermine their dignity and right to work free from fear of harassment.