A Delhi court ordered NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat to pay ₹10,000 in damages to Abhijit Iyer-Mitra for liking a defamatory tweet falsely accusing him of rape.
The court ruled that Rawat’s act of liking the tweet constituted republication, making her liable for defamation, despite her defense of selective targeting.
The damages were reduced from Iyer-Mitra’s initial claim of ₹20 lakh due to mitigating factors, including his history of controversial online remarks.
A Delhi court has directed NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat to pay ₹10,000 in damages to defence analyst Abhijit Iyer-Mitra for liking a defamatory tweet that falsely accused him of rape.
The order, as per Live Law, was passed on September 8 by District Judge Satyabrata Panda of the Patiala House Courts in a defamation suit filed by Iyer-Mitra. The court held that Rawat’s act of liking the tweet, originally posted in December 2019 by Mumbai-based lawyer Dushyant Arora, amounted to republication, thereby increasing its reach and visibility.
Arora’s tweet had claimed, “The man has been accused of rape, he routinely engages in hate speech.” Rawat’s endorsement of the post by liking it made the allegation appear on her social media profile, which Iyer-Mitra argued had harmed his reputation.
According to Indian Express, in its ruling, the court rejected Rawat’s defence that she was being selectively targeted, noting, “There is no manner of doubt that the act of the defendant no. 2 in ‘liking’ the original defamatory tweet amounted to republication.”
Iyer-Mitra had sought ₹20 lakh in damages, but the court reduced the amount to ₹10,000, citing mitigating circumstances, including his own record of controversial remarks. Judge Panda observed that while the allegations were “grave” and “false,” the damages should remain on the lower side.
Rawat has been directed to delete the defamatory tweet from her profile. If she fails to pay the ₹10,000 within two weeks, the amount will attract 6% annual interest until recovery.
