Delhi HC fines Juhi Chawla & co Rs 20 lakh for plea against 5G; raps her for sharing link

Quashing the plea filed by Juhi Chawla against the implementation of 5G mobile technology in India, the Delhi High Court on Friday imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh against the Bollywood actor and her co-petitioners. The High Court observed that the lawsuit had been filed for 'publicity' and that the petitioner i.e. Juhi Chawla had filed 'vexatious avernments' of which she had no knowledge. 

Noting that the plea is not 'maintainable' in law, the High Court also slammed Juhi Chawla for sharing the link of the live hearing to gain 'publicity'. The Court said that it had caused 'immense disturbance' during the hearing and asked Delhi police to identify the person who disrupted the hearing. This comes after an anonymous person crashed the Delhi High Court hearing against the implementation of 5G mobile technology in India and sang songs from old Juhi Chawla films. 

The man reportedly sang thrice at different intervals, prompting Justice JR Midha to direct the authorities to find out who the person as he was removed. Notably, Juhi Chawla herself took to Instagram and posted the link for the virtual hearing, inviting people to join the hearing. Significantly, the High Court has issued a notice against those who joined the hearing in an unauthorised capacity. 

Juhi Chawla's plea 'defective': Delhi HC 

On Wednesday, the court termed the suit of actress-environmentalist Juhi Chawla as “defective” and questioned Juhi Chawla for filing the suit without giving any representation to the government on her concerns related to the technology. Justice J R Midha said the plaintiffs, Chawla and two others, were required to first approach the government for their rights and if denied, they should come to the court. The court, which reserved order on the suit after hearing the arguments of various parties, also asked as to why as many as 33 parties have been added to the plaint and said it is not permitted under the law.

Juhi Chawla had filed a lawsuit against the 5G implementation on May 31. Her spokesperson in a media statement said, "No person, no animal, no bird, no insect and no plant on Earth will be able to avoid exposure, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to levels of RF radiation that are 10x to 100x times greater than what exists today." The statement claimed that 5G plans threaten to provoke "serious, irreversible effects on humans and permanent damage to all of the Earth's ecosystems."

The suit had sought direction to the authorities to certify to the public at large about how 5G technology is safe for humans, animals and every type of living organism, flora and fauna. The plea said that in April 2019, Brussels became the first major city in the world to halt any further steps in the 5G rollout on account of health hazards. The alleged said that India has also entered the '5G race' in an effort to "flaunt its advancements and achievements" in the field of technology and digital communication. It said, the urge to compete in this race has somewhat distracted the nation from taking into consideration some alarming factors to the health of present and future generations.