Delhi High Court reduces fine against actor Juhi Chawla in 5G case

Delhi High Court refused to write off the fine imposed on Bollywood actor Juhi Chawla in the 5G trial case. Juhi Chawla had approached the HC to stop 5G trials in India. The court has, however, proposed to reduce the fine of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2 lakh, provided the actor agrees to do some social work for Delhi State Legal Services Authority.

New Delhi:A division bench of the Delhi High Court headed by Justice Vipin Sanghi, on Tuesday, has proposed to reduce the fine imposed on actor Juhi Chawla from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2 lakh in the 5G lawsuit on the condition that the actor has to do some social work for the Delhi State Legal Services Authority.

The court told Salman Khurshid, Juhi Chawla's lawyer, that it would not completely write off the fine imposed by the single judge bench. The court further added that Juhi Chawla may be contacted by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority, whenever they need any help. Juhi Chawla had in turn said that she is ready for the task.

When Salman Khurshid asked whether the court fees should be given to the Delhi Legal Services Authority as the petition has been dismissed, the court issued a notice to Kanwaljit Arora the Secretary of Delhi Services Legal Authority seeking his response. The court will hear the case again on Thursday.

Actor Juhi Chawla had filed a plea before the Delhi High Court against the introduction of 5G technology in India. However, in June 2021 a single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court led by Justice JR Midha had dismissed her petition, describing it as a waste of judicial time, and in turn, imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh. On December 23, the Delhi High Court slammed actor Juhi Chawla for failing to appear before the court on time. However, later on, the High Court agreed to hear the matter after the winter vacation.

The Delhi High Court had further said in its hearing that the petitioner has not deposited the court fee which is against the established norms of law and directed the petitioners to deposit the court fee within a week. The court also stated that the government should have been given a notice before filing the petition.

Moreover, the court also observed that the petitioner has not provided any substantive evidence in favor of the petition and only relies on “a possibility” of deterioration of health on account of radiation from 5G devices.

Juhi Chawla had quoted a study on this matter claiming that the proposed 5G technology is harmful to humans. The petitioners added that no scientific study has been conducted on 5G technology to ascertain that the technology is safe for humans and hence its launch should be stopped.

The Department of Telecommunications has permitted Telecom Service Providers to conduct trials for the use and applications of 5G technology on May 4, 2021.