The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the plea filed by actor Juhi Chawla against the rollout of 5G technology in India, reported Bar and Bench. The court further stated that the actor, along with the other plaintiffs, abused the process of law and imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh on them.
Noting that Chawla had circulated the link of the virtual hearing on social media, Justice JR Midha said that it appeared that the suit was filed to garner publicity, the report further added. The court also ordered action against the people who interrupted the hearing on Wednesday by singing songs from her films.
Chawla’s lawyer Deepak Khosla, however, asked for the order to be put on hold, arguing that the imposition of costs were without any legal basis. But the court said, “Matter is over. You have your legal remedies.”
The fine has to be deposited with Delhi State Legal Services Authority within one week, the court observed, and the money will be used for the cause of the victims of road accidents.
On Monday, Chawla, along with Veeresh Malik and Teena Vachani, moved the Delhi High Court against the proposal of setting up a 5G network connection in India. She said that until the short-term and long-term negative impacts of the technology on human, animal, and plant life were known, its rollout should not be approved.
The petition stated that the State’s duty was to ensure that “products of a hazardous nature – or even a potentially hazardous nature – are not permitted to come into the economic mainstream till they are certified safe by the State, both for existing as well as future generations.”
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However, on Wednesday, during the virtual hearing, the court said that the plea filed by the actor was “defective and done for media publicity,” Bar and Bench reported. According to the report, the court questioned how the plea was filed without verification when Chawla and the other plaintiffs had admitted they had no personal knowledge of the issue.
The hearing was also continuously interrupted by fans of Chawla who sang songs from her films. After banning the unidentified man twice, the court directed that a contempt notice be issued against the miscreants.
Chawla is yet to issue a statement regarding the plea dismissal.