On September 16, 2017, Harpreet Singh Sidhu filed a defamation suit against journalist and best-selling author Rahul Pandita. While it was initially dismissed by a lower court in Mohali, an appellate court overturned the decision and ordered Pandita to pay INR 7.5 million on March 5, 2024. However on May 28, 2024, the Punjab and High Court stayed the appellate court’s decision because Pandita had not been aware of trial proceedings and had not been given the oppurtunity to defend himself. This halts the enforcement of the defamation compensation pending further judicial review.