Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shazia Ilmi filed a defamation suit before the Delhi High Court against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai over a video uploaded by him accusing Ilmi of “abusing” an India Today video journalist. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed Sardesai and India Today to furnish the complete, unedited video by Monday and listed the case for hearing on Tuesday.
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NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shazia Ilmi has initiated legal proceedings against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai by filing a defamation suit in the Delhi High Court.
The suit pertains to a video uploaded by Sardesai in which he accused Ilmi of “abusing” a video journalist from India Today.
This legal confrontation was presided over by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who has directed both Sardesai and India Today to submit the complete, unedited version of the video by Monday. The court has scheduled the case for a hearing on Tuesday.
During the proceedings, Sardesai’s legal representative informed the court that they had not yet been served with a copy of the petition. In response, Justice Arora instructed Ilmi’s lawyer to ensure that copies of the petition were provided to both Sardesai and India Today.
Advocate Natasha Garg, representing Shazia Ilmi, highlighted the ongoing impact of the video, stating that it continues to be available online, leading to derogatory comments and trolling against her client. Garg requested that Sardesai’s tweets be made private until the court could properly address the matter. However, the court declined to issue such an order and instead scheduled further consideration for Tuesday.
The dispute originates from a heated debate on July 26, during a segment hosted by Sardesai on India Today. The discussion focused on the politics surrounding Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day), as well as the Agniveer scheme and the broader issue of politicizing the defense forces.
The tension escalated when Sardesai and Ilmi clashed during the debate, particularly when Ilmi interrupted Major General (Retired) Yash Mor, who was critiquing the Agniveer scheme.
Sardesai defended the General, stating that he was presenting “hard facts.” Ilmi, in response, retorted, “Don’t sermonise,” leading to a heated exchange that lasted several minutes and culminated in Ilmi walking out of the show.
Later that night, Shazia Ilmi took to her X account (formerly known as Twitter) to express her grievances. She accused Sardesai of manipulating her audio levels during the show, stating:
“Remember I have been on both sides and know how to handle bullies like you. BTW it doesn’t behove political propagandists masquerading as journalists to sermonise.”
The situation further escalated the following morning when Rajdeep Sardesai shared a video on his X account. In the video, he alleged that Ilmi had not only abused the India Today video journalist who was present at her home but also expelled him from her residence. Sardesai wrote:
“If you have a grouse with me or with an army general on the show, of course that’s your prerogative. And I respect that too. But for you to chuck the Mike and abuse our video journalist and throw him out of your house is just NOT done. He was only doing his job. No excuse for bad behaviour. The rest I leave to you. Have a good weekend.”
The court will now deliberate on the matter, and both parties await the hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The legal outcome of this confrontation could have significant implications for media interactions and political discourse in the country.
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