The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a PIL seeking a direction to former cricketer and former Rajya Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu to provide the medical reports of his wife’s cancer treatment and test the effectiveness of her claims on cancer treatment.
The petition, filed by advocate Divya Rana, objected to Sidhu’s statement about how his wife was cured of stage 4 cancer by following a strict diet plan. Mentioning that being a public figure makes his statement effective, the petitioner said that such claims presented before the bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela are unscientific and can spread unproven claims widely and rely on such unproven methods.
Refusing to entertain the petition as it did not fall within the domain of the court, CJ Manmohan observed, “He is only expressing his opinion. Later he said that he was advised by a doctor. It is his freedom of speech… You cannot say he has no freedom of speech… You cannot use your He opposes his claim through freedom of speech. We believe in freedom of speech in this country. It is not our domain.”
CJ Manmohan further commented, “When I first became a judge, there was an abusive serial, they wanted to shut it down but turn off your TV, no… the wife is a doctor… if she is feeling well… “
Addressing the petitioner, Judge Gedela also verbally remarked, “You file PILs against cigarette manufacturers, why don’t you do that…”
After the court refused to hear the petition, the petitioner withdrew the petition.