Actor Richa Chadha has come under judicial scrutiny after the Delhi High Court criticised her for amplifying unverified allegations against a man accused of sexual misconduct during a Delhi to Mumbai flight. The court observed that her repost of the claims along with the remark “Make him famous” contributed to public shaming and digital vigilantism.

The matter relates to an incident dated March 11, when a journalist alleged inappropriate physical conduct by a co-passenger during the flight. Shortly after landing, the journalist shared the accusation on social media platform X, identifying the man and posting his photograph along with professional details. The allegations quickly gained traction online and were picked up by multiple media platforms.

Among those who reposted the allegation was Chadha, whose comment “Make him famous” became part of the proceedings in a defamation suit later filed by the accused professional, who denied the allegations and stated he had remained seated throughout the journey and had fallen asleep shortly before landing.

While hearing the case on March 20, Justice Vikas Mahajan observed that Chadha’s endorsement of the allegation went beyond the scope of free expression. The court noted that her amplification of the claim along with the “instigatory” text had acted as “a catalyst for public shaming and digital vigilantism.”

The court further emphasised the responsibilities that come with public influence. “A public figure bears a legal and moral responsibility to verify the veracity of facts before leveraging her platform to amplify grave accusations,” the judge observed.

In another key observation, the court said, “The Court is prima facie of the view that endorsement of unverified allegations has inflicted immediate, exponential, and incalculable harm on the plaintiff’s reputation.”

During the hearing, the court noted that Chadha had already taken down the post. It also recorded that it expects her not to precipitate the issue in the future.

The court additionally raised concerns about the sequence in which the allegations were made public. It criticised the complainant journalist for sharing the accusation online before filing a formal FIR, stating that while she had the right to report a grievance, circulating the allegation along with the identity and photograph of the accused prior to investigation was “a severe transgression of the plaintiff’s fundamental right to live with dignity and have fair trial.”

The order also addressed the role of several digital media platforms including NDTV and ABP News, observing that reports reproduced the allegations without independent verification and risked prejudicing the investigation process. The court stated that such reporting violated the principle of presumption of innocence until proven guilty and could amount to a parallel trial in the public domain.

Following these observations, the court directed removal of defamatory content and restrained the defendants from publishing similar allegations until the next hearing in the matter.

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