Delhi High Court To Hear Rajdeep Sardesai's Appeal In July Involving Defamation Case By BJP's Shazia Ilmi

The Delhi High Court will hear in July month an Appeal by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai challenging a Single Judge's Order in a defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Shazia Ilmi.

The said Appeal came up before a Division Bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Renu Bhatnagar which said that it would hear the plea post vacations.

The Single Judge, on April 4, had granted partial relief to Shazia in the said defamation case. The Court had confirmed its August 2024 Interim Order in which it had directed Sardesai to take down the video from his personal X (formerly Twitter) handle. It had also imposed cost of Rs. 25,000/- on Shazia for "wilfully suppressing" certain facts in her plea claiming that she was defamed and her privacy was violated by a video journalist's act of recording her even when the news debate show hosted by Sardesai was over and she had withdrawn her consent.

However, the Court had said that recording and publishing the part of the video, in which Shazia was seen withdrawing herself from the live debate and moving out of the shooting frame, "violated her right to privacy". It had said Sardesai and the channel with whom he was associated could not have recorded or used that portion of the video in the absence of Shazia's express consent.

The Court had said that Shazia's allegations pertaining to the video recording of her removing the microphone, allegedly outraging her modesty or violating her privacy appeared to be 'misconceived' and an 'afterthought'. It had passed the Order on an Application by Shazia seeking interim injunction against Sardesai and others.

The controversy arose after Shazia took part in the debate Sardesai hosted on the news channel in July 2024 on the Agniveer scheme row. After some sharp exchanges between the two, Shazia left the show midway. Later, the journalist put out a video and a post on social media which Shazia claimed were objectionable and a violation of her privacy.

"The show was over, my consent was over. Thereafter, I can't be recorded in my personal space without my consent", Shazia's counsel had contended in the Court.

Accordingly, the High Court listed the case on July 2, 2025.

With PTI Inputs