Actor Richa Chadha has come under judicial scrutiny after the Delhi High Court criticised her for amplifying unverified allegations against a person accused of sexual misconduct during a Delhi to Mumbai flight. The court observed that her repost of the claims together with the remark “Make him famous” contributed to public shaming and digital vigilantism.
Delhi High Court slams Richa Chadha for amplifying unverified allegations in flight incident row
The matter pertains to an incident dated March 11, when a journalist alleged inappropriate physical conduct by a co-passenger through the flight. Shortly after landing, the journalist shared the accusation on social media platform X, identifying the person and posting his photograph together with skilled details. The allegations quickly gained traction online and were picked up by multiple media platforms.
Amongst those that reposted the allegation was Chadha, whose comment “Make him famous” became a part of the proceedings in a defamation suit later filed by the accused skilled, who denied the allegations and stated he had remained seated throughout the journey and had fallen asleep shortly before landing.
While hearing the case on March 20, Justice Vikas Mahajan observed that Chadha’s endorsement of the allegation went beyond the scope of free expression. The court noted that her amplification of the claim together with the “instigatory” text had acted as “a catalyst for public shaming and digital vigilantism.”
The court further emphasised the responsibilities that include public influence. “A public figure bears a legal and moral responsibility to confirm the veracity of facts before leveraging her platform to amplify grave accusations,” the judge observed.
In one other key statement, the court said, “The Court is prima facie of the view that endorsement of unverified allegations has inflicted immediate, exponential, and incalculable harm on the plaintiff’s popularity.”
Through the hearing, the court noted that Chadha had already taken down the post. It also recorded that it expects her to not precipitate the problem in the long run.
The court moreover raised concerns concerning the sequence during which the allegations were made public. It criticised the complainant journalist for sharing the accusation online before filing a proper FIR, stating that while she had the proper to report a grievance, circulating the allegation together with the identity and photograph of the accused prior to investigation was “a severe transgression of the plaintiff’s fundamental right to live with dignity and have fair trial.”
The order also addressed the role of several digital media platforms including NDTV and ABP News, observing that reports reproduced the allegations without independent verification and risked prejudicing the investigation process. The court stated that such reporting violated the principle of presumption of innocence until proven guilty and will amount to a parallel trial in the general public domain.
Following these observations, the court directed removal of defamatory content and restrained the defendants from publishing similar allegations until the following hearing within the matter.
Also Read: Richa Chadha meets French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai, discusses Indie Cinema and Indo-French collaborations
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