However, the court ruled that it was against Ms. Shazia Ilmi‘s “right to privacy” to film and publish the segment of the video where she was seen leaving the shooting frame and withdrawing from a live debate.

BJP leader Shazia Ilmi was fined ₹25,000 by the Delhi High Court on Friday, April 4, 2025, for “willfully suppressing” any relevant information in her claim of defamation and privacy invasion at a broadcast organized by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. When Ms. Ilmi took part in a debate on “Kargil Diwas” and the Agniveers scheme sponsored by Mr. Sardesai on a news channel in July 2024, the controversy broke out.

Ms. Ilmi left the broadcast in the middle of a heated debate. Ms. Ilmi claimed that as she was removing the microphone and stumbling to get out of her chair, the cameraman kept recording her without permission. She claimed that even though she asked the cameraman to stop filming, he didn’t. Invasion of her personal space during the Rajdeep Sardesai-hosted show.

Ms. Ilmi later claimed that a video and a post that Mr. Sardesai had posted on X were offensive and infringed upon her privacy. The court stated that the video segment that Ms. Ilmi objected to could not have been shot or utilized by Mr. Sardesai and the TV channel “without her express consent.”

However, the court determined that Ms. Ilmi’s claims regarding the video footage of her taking off the microphone, supposedly outraging her modesty, or violating her privacy, were “misconceived” and a “afterthought.”

According to the court, Ms. Ilmi should have asked the video journalist filming her to stop before removing her microphone, clarified that she didn’t want the action to be captured on camera, and then moved on.

In August 2024, Mr. Sardesai received an interim injunction directing him to remove the video from his personal X handle. The court upheld the temporary order on Friday. However, because she claimed defamation based on a discussion on an X forum, Ms. Ilmi was ordered to appear in court with “clean hands.” According to the court, she was required to reveal the whole chat thread, including any remarks or tweets she made herself.

Prior to closing, the court would like to note that the plaintiff, Ms. Ilmi, willfully suppressed two tweets that were part of the same conversation thread as the tweet containing the disputed quote. As a result, the plaintiff must pay ₹25,000 to the Delhi High Court Bar Clerks’ Association through the secretary within three weeks, according to Justice Arora.