New Delhi, 18 June (H.S.):

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday once again declined to grant any immediate relief to a television journalist in a defamation suit filed against coaching educator Khan Sir and another coaching teacher over their alleged derogatory remarks. A vacation bench headed by Justice Tejas Karia directed that the matter will next be heard on July 2.

Earlier, on June 8, the High Court had also refused to grant interim relief to the journalist and had directed Khan Sir and the other coaching educators named in the petition to file their responses.

According to the petition filed by the television journalist, videos and social media posts circulated on digital platforms referred to her using terms such as sold-out journalist, sycophant, and broker. The petition further alleged that she was accused of acting as a middleman and of running a fake news shop.

The journalist submitted before the court that the posts had subjected her family to harassment and had raised serious concerns regarding their safety and security.

The controversy arose after the journalist aired a programme titled Star Teachers on her news channel, during which she described several coaching institute operators as worthless teachers. The remarks triggered widespread criticism, prompting several coaching educators, including Khan Sir, to release videos strongly condemning the journalist.

The issue subsequently sparked intense debate on social media, with users expressing views both in support of and against the journalist. Following the controversy, the journalist and her media organisation filed a defamation suit against Khan Sir and several other coaching educators.

In the defamation plea, the journalist and the news channel have sought damages amounting to Rs 2 crore.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar