Manu Bhaker interview: Delhi High Court vacates order directing Abhishek Baxi to remove tweet on Rohan Dua

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday vacated its order directing journalist Abhishek Baxi to take down his tweet criticising journalist Rohan Dua for his questions to Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker..On September 2, the High Court had ordered a host of social media handles, including Baxi's, to take down allegedly defamatory posts against Dua.Baxi filed an application against the order and said there was nothing defamatory in his tweet. Advocate Soutik Banerjee appeared for Baxi and told the Court that it was misled into passing the order.After going through the application, Justice Navin Chawla said,“There is nothing defamatory in this. This is his opinion which he is entitled to. I am suspending the order as far as this person is concerned,” the Bench said.Dua’s lawyer, advocate Raghav Awasthi, said he would drop Baxi as a party from the defamation suit..Baxi's tweet read:.Meanwhile, the counsel appearing for X pointed out that many other posts fall into the same category. The Bench examined them and remarked that people are entitled to say that Dua should not have interviewed Bhaker the way he did, but calling him “creepy” or making personal attacks is not correct.Justice Chawla added that the defendants aggrieved by the Court’s injunction order can move appropriate applications..Dua is the founder of a news platform called The New Indian. He interviewed Indian shooter Manu Bhaker after she won two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.A short clip of the interview went viral on social media where Dua could be seen asking Bhaker about photos she took with fellow Olympian Neeraj Chopra."It may be a little trivial question and awkward to ask you but since, of course, the others have also asked so, I may ask you this question. Not that I mean to demean your medal or your efforts. But then, of course, the photos went viral with that of Neeraj. I don’t know if you see it as a compliment but, of course, you are one of the most attractive females, beautiful females, in Indian’s history of Olympics or this sport particularly. Are we right to assume that there was some sort of a chemistry or it was just that he [Neeraj Chopra] wanted to snub it as one off moment which someone clicked?” Dua posed the question. Bhaker replied that she has known Chopra for a long time and that he is one of the best athletes in the country who she likes to have a chat with. She further explained that her mother is also very attached with other athletes and treats everyone as her own child.Several social media handles reposted the video, terming the question "sexist" and calling the interviewer "unprofessional".In his defamation suit, Dua argued that these statements not only attacked his professional competence but also spread a false narrative that he was being sexist and inappropriate.