Bombay HC grants relief to Indian Express in defamation plea against e-paper 'Sprouts'

Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on June 5 granted relief to Indian Express in its  defamation suit against an online news paper called 'Sprouts,' for publishing a defaming article on Girish Kuber, the editor of Marathi daily Loksatta. Indian Express is Loksatta's parent company.

The High Court directed Sprouts to remove the articles making allegations against Kuber and from its social media pages. The court further directed the news portal to refrain from republishing, resharing, or uploading the articles.

The case

Indian Express initiated defamation proceedings against Sprouts seeks Rs. 100 crore and an unconditional apology for publishing an article in November 2022, which stated Kuber had attended a lunch hosted by the Deputy Chief Minister. The article further alleged that he received gifts in the form of a voucher at the event.  The article also indicated that by attending the event, Kuber had compromised the hallowed principles that journalists are supposed to follow and that he also caused articles published in Loksatta that allegedly favoured the Deputy Chief Minister and other politicians.

On hearing the parties, the court found that Sprouts and its publishers offered no justification for publishing the article. Furthermore, according to the court, "It appears that according to the editor of Sprouts, merely because Kuber , who is the editor of a well-known Marathi Daily,
attended an event hosted by the Deputy Chief Minister, it was enough
to make such allegations."

Thus the court directed Sprouts to take the articles down and if they do not do so, the court has noted that it will ask the social media intermediaries to do so.