Shilpa Shetty Defamation case: On Friday, the Bombay High Court heard the petition of the Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who filed a defamation case against media outlets for publishing 'defamatory content' against her in connection with her husband Raj Kundra's arrest in an alleged pornography case. Shilpa shed tears while her lawyer said that her side of the story is not even heard out by the journalists yet multiple reports have been coming referring to her name and her kids' upbringing.
Referring to a Bollywood portal, the court 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 a prima facie and has been taken from the understanding of investigating agency. The reporting is not on Shilpa's innocence or guilt, it is based on police observation.
As per Bombay High Court, such reportage based on police sources is not defamatory and expressed doubt issuing a blanket restraint.
The court agreed that Shilpa's right to privacy has to be maintained and her children, and their upbringing, cannot be talked about in the Raj Kundra pornography case.
"The line between freedom of press & right to privacy will have to be balanced. It is possible that freedom of speech may have to be narrowly tailored. But it is not possible to ignore the constitutional pinning of privacy nor to say that if a person is a public figure, that person is deemed to have sacrificed his right to privacy," Justice Gautam S Patel observed.
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 decided to be on 20 September.
Watch this space for more updates!