Shilpa Shetty Defamation Case: The Bombay High Court on Friday heard a plea by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who filed a defamation case against media outlets for publishing ‘derogatory material’ against her husband Raj Kundra in connection with the arrest of her husband Raj Kundra in an alleged pornography case. Shilpa sheds tears while her lawyer says her story has not even been heard by journalists, yet there are many reports about her name and the upbringing of her children.
The court, citing a Bollywood portal, said that it is directly related to the ongoing investigation against Raj Kundra. The report says that Shilpa is suspected of destroying evidence. This article appears to be prima facie and has been taken from the understanding of the investigating agency. This reporting is not based on Shilpa’s innocence or guilt, it is based on police observation.
According to the Bombay High Court, such reports on the basis of police sources are not defamatory and have expressed doubts over the issuance of a blanket restraint.
The court held that Shilpa’s right to privacy in the Raj Kundra pornography case must be maintained and that her children and their upbringing cannot be talked about.
“The line between freedom of the press and the right to privacy has to be balanced. It is possible that freedom of speech may be narrowly tailored. But it is not possible to ignore the constitutional pinning of privacy and neither is it possible to say that if a person is a public figure, that person is deemed to have renounced his right to privacy,” Justice Gautam S Patel said.
The court said that if a person is a public figure, then it should not be assumed that that person does not have the right to privacy. The next date in this case has been fixed as September 20.
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