‘Plea filed for publicity’: Delhi HC dismisses Juhi Chawla’s petition against 5G rollout
The High Court also imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh on the actor.
The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed actor Juhi Chawla’s petition against the rollout of 5G technology, calling the plea “defective and not maintainable,” reported Live Law. The High Court also imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh on the actor and two other appellants.
“Vexatious allegations were made,” a single bench of Justice GR Midha said in the order. “It appears plaintiffs have filed this suit for publicity, which is clear by the plaintiff 1 [Chawla] sharing links of the hearing on her social media, which led to multiple disruptions in the hearing.”
During the last hearing on Wednesday, the High Court was disrupted three times after unidentified persons kept singing songs from Chawla’s movies. The hearing was conducted virtually.
The individuals sang songs such as “Ghoonghat ki aad se Dilbar ka”, “Laal laal hoton pe gori kiska naam hai” and “Meri banno ki ayegi baarat” from the actor’s movies. The judge had directed authorities to identity the individuals and issue contempt notices to them.
Chawla had shared the link of the hearing on her Instagram page. The High Court had also told Chawla that she should have approached the government first before moving the court, and reserved its order on the plea.
On Friday, the High Court asked the petitioner to deposit the fine amount within one week, saying that they have abused the process of law. As the lawyer appearing for the petitioners asked the High Court to stay the fine, the judge said the matter was now over and that as a counsel, he “should know his limits”.
On Monday, Chawla had moved the Delhi High Court against the proposed setting up of 5G wireless networks in India, arguing that the technology’s rollout must not be allowed unless it is certified to be safe. She claimed that if 5G technology is rolled out, no human being, animal, bird or plant will be able to avoid exposure to radiation 10 to 100 times higher than the existing levels.
However, according to the World Health Organization, no adverse health effects have been causally linked to exposure to wireless technologies so far. “Health-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum but, so far, only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G,” it said in February 2020.