Ponty Chadha’s son moves HC seeking right to be forgotten after acquittal in fraud case

Businessman Manpreet Singh Chadha, alias Monty Chadha, son of late liquor baron Ponty Chadha, has approached the Delhi High Court seeking removal of past media reports relating to his alleged involvement in a Rs 100 crore property fraud case, invoking the “right to be forgotten”.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav heard the matter briefly on Thursday. Chadha’s counsel argued that since the trial court had compounded the offences in 2019 and acquitted him, the continued availability of media content relating to his arrest and the case was causing lasting damage to his reputation.

The Bench, however, sought clarification on two counts, first, whether there exists an enforceable right to be forgotten, and second, whether the suit is barred by limitation as it was filed more than five years after the acquittal.

Meanwhile, during the hearing, the defendants relied on a previous high court ruling to contend that once content is published, the limitation period begins from that date and continuous availability online cannot be treated as a fresh cause of action.

The court granted time to Chadha’s counsel to respond to its queries. At this stage, no summons have been issued in the case.

The defamation suit names several media houses as defendants. Technology platforms such as Meta, Google LLC and X Corp (formerly Twitter), along with John Doe parties, have also been impleaded.

According to the suit, FIRs were registered by the Economic Offences Wing in 2018 on complaints from homebuyers. Chadha was arrested in June 2019, but by November that year, the trial court had compounded the case, leading to his acquittal. Despite this, his plea states multiple articles and videos from the time of the investigation continue to remain publicly accessible.

Chadha has maintained that the continued presence of such reports has unfairly tarnished his personal and professional standing and adversely impacted his family’s social reputation. The suit claims that this constitutes an infringement of his right to privacy and his right to be forgotten, which has been recognised by constitutional courts.

He has sought damages of Rs 2 crore from the news outlets for defamation. In addition, Chadha has requested interim relief in the form of removal of the reports and a John Doe order to prevent further circulation. He has argued that without immediate injunctive protection, he would suffer irreparable injury to his reputation and social image.