Delhi HC rebukes Abhijit Iyer Mitra, orders takedown of posts against Newslaundry journalists
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed Abhijit Iyer Mitra to remove allegedly defamatory posts from his X (formerly Twitter) account targeting women journalists of the media outlet Newslaundry, before it would proceed to hear his defence in a defamation case.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, while hearing the matter, questioned the appropriateness of the language used in Mitra’s posts. “Can you defend these articles? These kind of languages, whatever may be background, can these kind of language against women \[be] permissible in the society? You must take down this. Then only we will hear you,” the judge reportedly said, according to LiveLaw.
Representing Mitra, Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai agreed to comply with the court’s direction and take down the posts immediately.
“The court was of the prima facie view that the nature of the language used by the defendant is not permissible in any civilized society,” the court noted in its observations.
The case stems from a defamation suit filed by nine women journalists of Newslaundry against Mitra, alleging that he posted sexually abusive and derogatory content about them on his social media handle. The suit seeks a public apology and Rs. 2 crore in damages.
The plaintiffs include Newslaundry managing editor Manisha Pande, along with journalists Ishita Pradeep, Suhasini Biswas, Sumedha Mittal, Tista Roy Chowdhury, Tasneem Fatima, Priya Jain, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Priyali Dhingra. Newslaundry itself is also a petitioner in the case.
As interim relief, the petition seeks immediate removal of the objectionable posts from Mitra’s X handle.
The suit accuses Mitra of using misogynistic slurs, including labelling the women as “prostitutes” and calling their workplace a “brothel.” It further alleges that Newslaundry subscribers, comprising professionals across fields such as medicine, law, and education, were collectively referred to in derogatory terms in Hindi.
“No woman/person deserves to be dehumanised. No profession deserves to be weaponised as an insult. These remarks strip women, whether journalists or sex workers, of agency, identity, and respect,” the plea reads.
The plaintiffs argue that Mitra’s posts were “libellous, unfounded and misconceived,” and intended to malign the professional reputation and dignity of the women employees.
In response to the court’s directive, Mitra posted on X that he would comply out of respect for the court, though he continued to describe his posts as “poetic tweets” and reiterated his intent to challenge Newslaundry’s credibility in the main proceedings.
“I have full faith in the Hon’ble Delhi High Court. They have asked me to take down my poetic tweets about NewsLaundry. I am complying with said order in deference to the Court,” he wrote.
He also alleged that Newslaundry’s legal representatives had avoided addressing his claims about the organisation’s funding and journalistic integrity.
In response, Newslaundry’s managing editor Manisha Pande posted a link to an article detailing the media platform’s ownership and funding structure.
The matter is scheduled to be heard again next week.
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'Go back to your own country': Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in Dublin
London, Aug 5 (PTI): An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault.
Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin.
Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: "Go back to your own country".
"In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen," Singh told ‘Dublin Live’.
"I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared," he said.
A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening.
"Gardaí are investigating an assault reported to have occurred in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11 at approximately 11:45 pm on Friday, 1st August 2025. A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to Beaumont Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injury. Investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson said.
The incident followed an Indian Embassy advisory, also issued on Friday, expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions.
"There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,” states the advisory.
“The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned in Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours," the statement reads, adding emergency embassy contact details as 0899423734 and cons.dublin@mea.gov.in.
It came in the wake of a brutal attack on a 40-year-old Indian man at Parkhill Road in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on July 19, described as “mindless, racist violence” by locals.
The Gardai had opened an investigation into the case and Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was among those who took to social media to express shock over the attack.
“Regarding the recent incident of physical attack on an Indian national that happened in Tallaght, Dublin, the embassy is in touch with the victim and his family. All the requisite assistance is being offered. The embassy is also in touch with the relevant Irish authorities in this regard,” the embassy said in a social media post days after the incident.
A Stand Against Racism protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a "vicious racist attack" and to express solidarity with migrants.
Last week, Dr Santosh Yadav took to LinkedIn to post details of a “brutal, unprovoked racist attack”.
The entrepreneur and AI expert stressed that it was not an isolated incident and called for “concrete measures” from the governments of Ireland and India to ensure Indians feel safe to walk the streets of Dublin.
His post revealed that a group of six teenagers attacked him from behind as he walked to his apartment in Dublin.
“This is not an isolated incident. Racist attacks on Indian men and other minorities are surging across Dublin — on buses, in housing estates, and on public streets. Yet, the government is silent. There is no action being taken against these perpetrators. They run free and are emboldened to attack again,” reads Yadav's post.
Fine Gael party Councillor for Tallaght South, Baby Pereppadan, was among those who expressed concern following last month’s attack.
“People need to understand that many Indian people moving to Ireland are here on work permits, to study and work in the healthcare sector or in IT and so on, providing critical skills,” he said.
Another violent anti-Indian attack in Ireland
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) August 5, 2025
Taxi driver Lakhvir Singh was attacked with glass bottles while doing his job pic.twitter.com/mtkwhLWISx
