Bombay High Court: In the present case, plaintiff-Rupali Ganguly Verma, an actress, had filed a suit alleging defamation at the hands of Defendant 1-Esha Verma, plaintiff’s husband’s daughter from first marriage. A Single Judge Bench of Arif S. Doctor, J., restrained Defendant 1 from publishing, posting, sharing, circulating, or otherwise disseminating any defamatory, false, slanderous, or libelous statements, posts, videos, tweets, stories, or content against plaintiff.
Plaintiff submitted that in the year 2020, Defendant 1, after the launch of a television series ‘Anupama’ in which plaintiff had the lead role, had posted defamatory article on her Facebook page.
Counsel for plaintiff submitted that Defendant 1 had again begun defaming plaintiff by giving interviews to various newspapers/publications which were widely published and circulated and submitted the relevant extracts for the same. It was also submitted that Defendant 1 had though been served and was given ample opportunity, did not appear and therefore, ad-interim relief be granted in favour of plaintiff as Defendant 1’s conduct was gravely prejudicing and imperiling plaintiff’s career.
The Court, after considering the material provided by plaintiff’s counsel, opined that the said material was not only prima facie per se defamatory but also malicious as Defendant 1 in the article dated 29-11-2024, stated that she had targeted plaintiff. The Court also took of the fact that Defendant 1, despite being served notice, did not appear before this Court.
The Court thus granted ad-interim relief in favour of plaintiff and till final disposal of the suit, restrained Defendant 1, her agents, servants, representatives, followers, or any person acting on her behalf by an order of prohibitory injunction from publishing, posting, sharing, circulating, or otherwise disseminating any defamatory, false, slanderous, or libelous statements, posts, videos, tweets, stories, or content against plaintiff through any medium, including but not limited to social media platforms, digital and print media, or other public forums, either directly or indirectly. The Court further restrained social media, platforms, print media, other digital/non-digital mediums and other relevant intermediaries from publishing, sharing, hosting, circulating, or promoting any further defamatory content about plaintiff.
The matter would next be listed on 17-02-2025.
[Rupali Ganguly Verma v. Esha Verma, Suit (L) No. 37958 of 2024, decided on 15-01-2025]
Advocates who appeared in this case :
For the Plaintiff: Sana Raees Khan a/w Neha Balani for the Plaintiff.