Delhi High Court Issues Notice to Sudhir Chaudhary and DD News Over Defamation Suit

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to journalist Sudhir Chaudhary and public broadcaster DD News following a defamation lawsuit filed by a 20-year-old activist and UPSC aspirant. The plaintiff alleges that a prime-time television broadcast misidentified him as someone making threats to "destroy Parliament" and "turn India into Nepal." Justice Subramonium Prasad sought responses from Chaudhary and the news channel regarding an interim injunction application filed by the activist, Vijay Sherawat. The application requests the removal of a segment from Chaudhary’s daily prime-time show, Decode, which aired on July 27. The High Court directed that the application be registered as a civil suit and issued notices regarding Sherawat's plea for interim relief. Appearing on behalf of Sherawat, his counsel informed the court that the lawsuit addresses the "misidentification and defamation" of the applicant. The dispute centers on the July 27 broadcast covering a protest organized by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). Sherawat asserts that the broadcast falsely attributed statements to him suggesting he spoke about destroying Parliament and threatening to transform India into Nepal. Sherawat has denied making any such remarks. According to the lawsuit, these statements were falsely attributed to him by the defendants "without regard for accurate facts," resulting in severe damage to his reputation. The 20-year-old petitioner is seeking an injunction to restrain Chaudhary and DD News from broadcasting, hosting, publishing, or further disseminating the July 27 program, which he contends contains defamatory allegations against him. The application further requests a direction to take down the broadcast pending the final disposal of the lawsuit. At this stage, the High Court has not expressed any opinion on the merits of Sherawat's allegations or whether the broadcast constitutes defamation. The court noted that it requires a formal response from the defendants before considering the plea for interim protection. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on September 22. The court indicated its expectation that Chaudhary and the news channel will be prepared to argue Sherawat's application for interim relief on the adjourned date.