New Delhi, 02 July (H.S.): The Delhi High Court on Thursday referred to mediation a defamation suit filed by a woman television journalist over alleged defamatory remarks made by coaching educator Khan Sir and another coaching teacher. The order was passed by the Bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.

During the hearing, the Court observed that the dispute could be resolved if a senior mediator was appointed. It directed both parties to appear before the mediator later the same evening and make an effort to settle the matter amicably. While referring the case to mediation, the Court directed Khan Sir and the other coaching educators to remove social media posts disclosing details related to the journalist's children. It also advised the woman journalist not to target the coaching educators.

Earlier, the High Court had declined to grant any immediate interim relief to the journalist. The vacation Bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna had directed Khan Sir and the other coaching educators to file their responses to the petition.

According to the defamation suit filed by the journalist, videos and posts circulated on digital platforms described her using terms such as sold-out journalist, sycophant, and broker. She also alleged that the content accused her of acting as a middleman and running a fake news operation. The journalist submitted before the Court that these posts had subjected her family to harassment and raised serious concerns about their safety and security.

The dispute arose after the journalist aired a programme titled Star Teachers on her news channel, during which she allegedly referred to coaching educators as worthless teachers. The remarks triggered widespread controversy, prompting Khan Sir and several other coaching educators to post videos sharply criticising the journalist. The issue subsequently sparked intense debate on social media, with users expressing views both in support of and against the parties involved.

Following the controversy, the journalist and her media organisation filed the defamation suit against Khan Sir and several other coaching educators, seeking damages of ₹2 crore.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar