Delhi Court Directs India Today Group To Remove 'Defamatory' Videos On Congress Leader Nadeem Javed

A Delhi Court has directed India Today group to removal certain videos uploaded on their digital platforms including YouTube concerning Congress leader Nadeem Javed in the defamation suit filed by the latter.Civil Judge Vaibhav Pratap Singh of Patiala House Courts also refrained India Today Group from uploading the videos in question till the disposal of Javed's defamation suit. Javed filed the defamation suit filed last year. The videos relate to an incident that happened in September 2018. In the videos, Javed was seen as being manhandled and abused by some individuals when he was accosted outside the India Islamic Centre. It was his case that the videos falsely implicated him for having taken some money, which the individuals wanted to be returned.As per the defamation suit, the videos were circulated by media house India Today Group as well as Republic TV and were also uploaded on their YouTube channels. Javed submitted that the videos were causing significant harm to his reputation and career as the videos had amassed significant views leading to financial losses.He also said that the individuals who abused him and recorded the video never initiated any legal proceedings for the alleged money owed, suggesting there was malice and a conspiracy to defame him.The Court allowed Javed's application seeking temporary injunction, observing that a strong prima facie case was shown by him. Further, the judge observed that by making the videos in question private or injuncting them from being available on the public platforms would not infringe on the rights of freedom of speech and expression of India Today Group.“If the Plaintiff, being a politician, does not have any higher rights than the ordinary citizen, he does not have less rights either. This Court is in full agreement with the Learned Counsel for Defendants No. 2 & 3 that persons in public office need to have a thicker skin and broader shoulders, however, it would be folly to say that they are not entitled to protection against defamation,” the Court said. It said that it is not as if the offending videos were part of a political speech given by an opponent or are part of some investigative journalism done by a journalist showing Javed in poor light with verified material and facts. The judge said that it was a viral video wherein some unknown persons assaulted and abused Javed while he was simply approaching his car after having left a restaurant and the viral video was simply been run by the India Today Group. “If persons are allowed to simply do this and hurl wild allegations screaming from street corners, the law of defamation would lose all significance,” the Court said.Click here to read order

Delhi Court Directs India Today Group To Remove 'Defamatory' Videos On Congress Leader Nadeem Javed

Nupur Thapliyal

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