Court restrains ‘Times Now Navbharat’ from telecasting news against AAP MLA

A Delhi court has issued an interim restraining order against Times Now Navbharat, preventing them from telecasting, broadcasting, or printing any defamatory news against AAP MLA Naresh Baliyan.

The order came in response to a plea by the MLA, who sought to halt the media houses from airing or publishing any defamatory content, citing damage to his reputation and family.

The court noted that the dissemination of false news caused great loss to the MLA’s reputation and ruled in his favour. It emphasised that “no money can compensate the injury to the reputation of a person, and the complainant will suffer irreparable loss which cannot be compensated in terms of money, if the present application is not allowed.”

Earlier, the court had already restrained the media group from publishing such news, but the Times Group had challenged this interim order in the Delhi High Court. The High Court directed the trial court to decide on the matter.

The AAP MLA’s plea argued that he is actively engaged in social work and reforms, elected as a member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly in 2015 and re-elected in 2020, with a strong reputation in the community due to his hard work and good conduct. The court order further noted that the defendant had broadcast news against the plaintiff without verifying the facts, and the discussion took place at a national level without proper investigation.

It highlighted that “no facts or allegations were verified from the complainant regarding the veracity of statements against plaintiff,” and the defendant did not fulfil its duties attached to the freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.