The Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of social media posts and videos by Congress leaders Ragini Nayak, Jairam Ramesh, and Pawan Khera, which accused journalist Rajat Sharma of abusing and using foul language against Nayak on live television.
In an ex parte interim order issued on Friday, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna stated that the Congress leaders had exaggerated the incident and misrepresented the facts. The Court determined that allowing the content to remain on social media would cause irreparable harm to Sharma.
Sharma has filed a defamation lawsuit against Nayak, Khera, and Ramesh, seeking ₹100 crore in damages. A video clip from a discussion on India TV, Sharma’s news channel, was circulated on social media during the Lok Sabha election results, alleging that Sharma used offensive language towards Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak. On June 10, Nayak posted the video on X, claiming that it captured Sharma using abusive language against her, and subsequently filed a police complaint.
On June 11, Sharma accused the Congress party’s media cell of orchestrating a false campaign against him, stating that India TV had warned Congress’ communication department that spreading false information would be considered defamation. He suggested that Nayak was sent to provoke him during the broadcast. Despite the warning, the Congress media cell continued their allegations, prompting Sharma’s legal action.
Sharma’s legal counsel issued a statement on India TV’s X handle, warning Nayak, Jairam Ramesh, and Pawan Khera against making defamatory claims. The statement asserted that the allegations were baseless, malicious, and constituted fake news, violating public decency. Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, assisted by Sudeep Chatterjee, Rohan Swarup, Kunal Vats, and Sanyam Suri from Singh & Singh Law Firm, represented Rajat Sharma.
