The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a PIL seeking to restrain alleged swindler Sukesh Chandrasekhar, an accused in a cheating case, from releasing to the media derogatory letters about actors Jacqueline Fernandez, Nora Fatehi and Chahatt Khanna.
A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjiv Narula said the petition should be dismissed at a high cost.
The PIL was moved by Nishant Singh, a public servant identifying himself as a devoted fan of the three actors, claiming that Sukesh’s malicious actions were intentionally aimed at outraging the modesty of India’s women artists, displaying a callous disregard for their emotions.
The plea also sought immediate action against the Union Government through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Delhi Government, accusing them of conniving to outrage the actors’ modesty.
However, the court refused to entertain the plea, stating that no evidence was presented to support the allegations of collusion between the Union and Delhi Governments in any manner to outrage the actors’ modesty. The bench also noted that baseless accusations were made against the authorities solely for gaining cheap publicity.
The petitioner claimed that Sukesh’s letters publicly discussing his alleged relationships with some women artists, particularly with Jacqueline Fernandez, aimed to violate the dignity of women in the country, especially that of Ms. Fernandez. It further emphasized that Sukesh’s unrestrained statements in the media about his alleged relationship with Jacqueline Fernandez were undermining her ability to live a dignified life.
Presenting various examples of the letters, Singh argued that Sukesh’s “public antics” needed to be immediately halted, highlighting that his understanding of love is “quite weird.”
“In a time when his legal wife was in Judiciary custody, he was busy making, nurturing and grooming his “love” with Ms. Jacqueline Fernandez with his dubious efforts. His skill set were truly master class …,” the plea added.