The Delhi High Court proposed to reduce the costs imposed on actor Juhi Chawla and two others from Rs 20 lakhs to Rs 2 lakhs while dismissing her petition against the 5G rollout. The court also asked the actor to work for a public cause. Salman Khurshid, Chawla’s counsel, agreed to the court’s suggestion. The decision came after the hearing of an appeal by Chawla and the two others against the court order dismissing her lawsuit against the 5G rollout. The next hearing of the case is kept for January 27.
The bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh issued notice to the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) secretary seeking his response on the appeal. The court stated in the notice that it was not inclined to issue notice to the other respondents because the plaint had been returned to the appellants following the judge’s judgement, and their main grievance was regarding the payment of Rs 20 lakh in costs to the DSLSA.
The court suggested that Chawla participates in a programme by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) to work for a public cause. According to the court, this would be an honour for Chawla. Chawla’s legal counsel Khurshid submitted a request to waive the actor from the payment of the court fee, which the court denied. Khurshid also requested the court to find a way to tackle the negative impact made by the press reports.
5G Rollout Will Affect People's Health, Claims Chawla
Earlier in June 2021, the single judge described the lawsuit by Chawla and two others against 5G rollout as ‘defective’, ‘filed for publicity and as ‘abuse of law’. The judge then dismissed the petition with a fine of Rs 20 lakhs. In the appeal, Chawla and others argued that the judge rejected the plea and imposed a penalty without any jurisdiction. The case should have been allowed to be registered as a lawsuit. They added their concerns regarding the harmful impact of 5G technology on people’s health, especially those residing near the vicinity of the 5G trial areas. In the lawsuit, Chawla and the other two plaintiffs argued that if 5G rollout happens, no living being will be able to escape from the exposure, which will be up to the levels of RF radiation that are 10x to 100x times greater than the current scenario.
During the hearing in June 2021, Chawla was blamed for circulating the video conferencing link of the hearing on her social media account. It resulted in hearing disruptions by unknown miscreants, who continued disruptions despite repeated warnings.
