‘Digital Vigilantism’: Delhi HC Slams Actress Richa Chadha, Media For Sharing Posts Alleging Sexual Harassment By Man On IndiGo Flight
· Free Press Journal
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court pulled up actress Richa Chadha and media outlets for publicly “shaming” and amplifying unverified allegations against a man who was accused of sexual harassment by a woman on a Delhi-Mumbai IndiGo flight, Bar and Bench reported.
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The incident took place on 11 March when a female journalist accused a man sitting next to her of inappropriate physical conduct during the flight.
After the flight landed, the journalist posted the allegation on her X handle, naming the man. She shared his photograph and professional details as well. The post soon gained traction, and many news outlets carried reports on the incident. Richa Chadha reposted the allegations with the writing, “Make him famous”.
Regarding Chadha's post, the Court said, “The endorsement and amplification of an unverified allegation, accompanied by the instigatory text ‘Make him famous’, transcends mere free expression and acts as a catalyst for public shaming and digital vigilantism. A public figure bears a legal and moral responsibility to verify the veracity of facts before leveraging her platform to amplify grave accusations."
The court was hearing a defamation suit filed by the man against an independent journalist, X Corp, OBNews, Google LLC, Meta Platforms, NDTV Hindi, ABP Live, Richa Chadha, and IndiGo Airlines.
The man has denied the allegation, claiming he remained seated throughout the journey and had fallen asleep shortly before landing. He later approached the Delhi High Court with a defamation suit against the journalist, Chadha, and several media platforms.
The court noted that Chadha has taken down the post and added that it expects her not to precipitate the issue in future.
Slamming the journalist, the court said revealing the identity of the man along with his photograph before a formal investigation even commences is a severe transgression of the man's fundamental right to live with dignity and have a fair trial.