New Delhi, Aug 18 The Delhi High Court has ordered the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) weekly publication, Organiser, along with another news platform, The Commune, to remove a defamatory article titled 'Indian Catholic Church Sex Scandal: Priest exploiting nuns and Hindu women exposed'.
The article alleged that the principal of a Delhi-based Christian minority school had engaged in sexual activities with students, staff members, and others.
Justice Jyoti Singh presided over the case, directing both publications to take down the article that was published in June.
The court held that the articles were published recklessly and without factual verification, which tarnished the reputation of the school principal, an esteemed figure associated with various educational institutions.
The plaintiff argued that the article was meant to harm his reputation and the reputation of the missionaries, as well as to obstruct his upcoming promotion.
The court observed that a police complaint had been filed against the two platforms and is pending inquiry.
The court observed the importance of protecting an individual's reputation and acknowledged the right to reputation as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution.
It underscored that freedom of speech and expression, enshrined under Article 19(1)(a), must be balanced against the right of an individual's reputation, which can be affected by defamatory content.
The court then issued an ex parte ad-interim injunction against Organiser and The Commune, ordering them to remove the article from their platforms.
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