Bhubaneswar: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday observed that criticism of a political decision falls within the scope of public discourse while hearing a plea filed by Raghav Chadha seeking removal of allegedly defamatory online content.
During the hearing, Justice Subramonium Prasad remarked that, prima facie, the matter did not appear to involve a violation of personality rights. The Court stated that the distinction between criticism and defamation in political matters is “quite thin.”
The judge further observed that the case appeared to relate more to political criticism rather than unlawful misuse of personality rights.
Raghav Chadha had approached the High Court seeking protection against the alleged misuse of his image, likeness and AI-generated or morphed content circulating online following his political shift from the Aam Aadmi Party to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The petition sought directions for removal of certain online material claimed to be defamatory and misleading.
After hearing submissions, the High Court reserved its order on interim relief sought by the petitioner.
