The Delhi High Court has told political commentator Abhijit Iyer-Mitra that he must delete some of his online posts within five hours or face serious action. These posts were made on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) between February and May 2025. The court said that if he doesn’t remove them, it might order the police to file a case against him.

The court was reacting to a complaint from Manisha Pande, the Executive Editor of Newslaundry, and eight other women journalists. They said Mr Iyer-Mitra called them “prostitutes” and referred to their workplace as a “brothel.” They have filed a defamation case asking for a written apology and ₹2 crore in damages.The judge said such language is unacceptable in any civilised society, no matter the background or reason.The court was ready to pass an immediate order but paused after Mr Iyer-Mitra’s lawyer promised the tweets would be deleted quickly.

The judge also said that if such language is used, the court might ask the police to file a case on its own and even arrest the person involved. The court was upset that the posts were still online even after earlier warnings.Mr. Iyer-Mitra's lawyer, Jai Anant Dehadrai, told the Delhi High Court that his client had some points to explain but agreed that the words used in the posts “could have been avoided.” He assured the court that Mr. Iyer-Mitra would delete the offensive social media posts within five hours.

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