‘Make him famous’ post: Why Delhi HC castigated Richa Chadha, news platforms for ‘unverified’ allegations against PwC partner
The actress and certain media houses had amplified alleged unverified allegations against a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has now sought Rs 2.01 crore in damages
The Delhi High Court castigated news platforms as well as actress and producer Richa Chadha for amplifying alleged unverified allegations against a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), saying such amplification “acts as a catalyst for public shaming and digital vigilantism”.
While Chadha had sought that she be deleted from among the defendant parties in the suit, given that she has deleted her post, the court refused to accede to the request on March 20.
Justice Vikas Mahajan observed, “The endorsement and amplification of an unverified allegation, accompanied by the instigatory text ‘Make him famous’, transcends mere free expression and acts as a catalyst for public shaming and digital vigilantism. A public figure, such as (Chadha), bears a legal and moral responsibility to verify… facts before leveraging her platform to amplify grave accusations. 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.”
In his plea, the partner at PwC sought permanent injunction and damages owing to alleged unverified accusations of misconduct on an IndiGo flight by a co-passenger on social media.
He sought damages to the tune of Rs 2.01 crore for the “grave and irreparable harm” caused to his reputation and professional standing, and public apologies from the defendants as well.
As an interim measure, Justice Mahajan has now directed social media intermediaries — Google LLC, X Corp and Meta Platforms — to take down social media posts in this regard.
The co-passenger, a female journalist, had accused the man of allegedly inappropriately touching her mid-flight while she was asleep and had posted about the incident on social media on March 11. It was subsequently amplified across the media, including being reposted by Chadha, with the remark ‘Make him famous’.
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News platforms such as NDTV Hindi, ABP Live; and OBNews, which is an online platform operating on Google LLC, too had published articles reproducing the alleged unverified allegations.
Noting that the complainant had taken to social media before lodging an FIR, Justice Mahajan observed that such conduct transgresses on the plaintiff’s right to live with dignity and a fair trial.
“The overhasty public disclosure, prima facie, suggests an attempt to sensationalise the issue and subject the plaintiff to a trial by public opinion, rather than a bona fide pursuit of legal redress. While defendant no. 1 (complainant) has an unhindered right to report a grievance, but using social media to circulate allegations of inappropriate touching and revealing the identity of the plaintiff, along with his photograph, before a formal investigation even commences, in a prima facie view of this Court, is a severe transgression of the plaintiff’s fundamental right to live with dignity and have fair trial,” Justice Mahajan recorded.
Also castigating news platforms amplifying such social media posts as news, the court noted, “The narrative set by media houses and digital platforms has clearly breached the contours of the FIR. The publications do not merely report the allegations in the FIR; they prematurely adjudicate the matter. By suggesting the plaintiff to be the ‘culprit’ and categorically labelling him a ‘molester’, the defendants have effectively usurped the adjudicatory function of the competent courts. Such pronouncements grossly violate the foundational principle of criminal jurisprudence viz. the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and create an unwarranted parallel investigation that has the potential of severely prejudicing the ongoing investigation in the aforesaid FIR.”
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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