Since social media platforms are accessed by a large number of persons of various ages, it is expected of users to display sobriety and common courtesies to those towards whom the comments are directed, the Delhi HC remarked in an order directing Twitter to take down defamatory tweets against India Today Group and Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai.
The tweet was regarding the interview Sardesai conducted with Rhea Chakraborty and continued a cuss word against him and also other allegations. It was contended that reputation of the employees of India Today Group, like Rajdeep Sardesai, is inextricably linked with the goodwill and business interests.
Rakesh Krishnan had also tweeted about killing of the story regarding one, Mr. Sumit Mukherjee; the fudging of circulation figures concerning the India Today Magazine; falsely extolling thr virtues of a book authored by one Mr. Raj Chengappa, titled “Weapons of Peace: Secret Story of India’s Quest to be a nuclear power. Regarding the interview with Rhea, his allegation was that ‘Rajdeep Sardesai would have, perhaps, accepted money for the interview that he conducted. He has also used a cuss word against Sardesai and called him a fixer.
Perusing the tweets, Justice Rajiv Shakder observed that the plaintiffs have made out, at least at this stage, a prima facie case in their favor that he impugned tweets lack justification.
Issuing notice, the court directed the twitter to take down the impugned tweets and/ or block/ suspend the URLs. Rakesh Krishnan has also been injuncted from uploading, hereafter, derogatory and/or defamatory statements, articles, comments, passages, and such like material qua India Today Group and Rajdeep Sardesai till further orders.
