New Delhi/Patna: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to pass an interim order in the defamation case filed against Khan Sir, Director of Khan Global Studies, and several other coaching teachers.
The court observed that responses from several respondents were still pending despite notices having been issued earlier. It granted two weeks for the filing of replies and listed the matter for further hearing on July 2.
Earlier, during a hearing held on Monday, the court had refused to grant interim relief sought against Khan Sir and the other respondents, while directing them to place their responses on record.
The court also declined the petitioner’s request for the immediate removal of videos and social media content. A similar refusal to grant interim relief was made on June 8 when notices were first issued in the matter.
Rs 2 Crore Damages Sought
The petition has been filed by a senior Delhi-based female journalist, who has sought damages of Rs 2 crore. She alleges that remarks made by Khan Sir and others damaged her professional reputation.
According to the petition, offensive and defamatory language was used against her and the media organisation associated with her on social media and other digital platforms.
The petitioner claims she and her organisation were described using terms such as “bikau patrakar” (sold-out journalist), “chatukar” (sycophant), “dalal” (tout), and “fake news ki dukaan” (shop for fake news).
Reliefs Sought by the Petitioner
Counsel appearing for the journalist requested the court to direct the removal of the allegedly defamatory content, restrain the respondents from publishing similar material in the future, and award damages of Rs 2 crore.
Objections Raised by Respondents
During the hearing, Khan Sir and other respondents raised preliminary objections to the maintainability of the petition.
Their counsel argued that allegations concerning multiple individuals and separate causes of action had been combined in a single lawsuit, making the petition defective in its present form.
Origin of the Dispute
The petition states that the dispute originated on May 29 following comments made during a television programme concerning the commercialisation of education and the growing influence of online “star teachers”.
The petitioner alleges that a coordinated social media campaign targeting her was carried out between May 30 and June 4.
Besides Khan Sir, the suit names Abhinav Sharma, Babita Tyagi and Arvind Bhadauria as parties. Several social media handles and a news network have also been included in the proceedings.
Allegation Over Disclosure of Child’s School
The petition further alleges that Khan Sir publicly disclosed the name of the journalist’s child’s school.
The petitioner argues that the information was unrelated to the dispute and that making it public could affect the privacy and safety of her family.
The matter will next be heard by the Delhi High Court on July 2.
