The Bombay High Court has stepped in to shield Godrej Properties from what it called reckless online attacks. Sprouts News has been ordered to pull down two articles targeting the company’s Haryana real estate project, after the Court found the content prima facie defamatory.
Justice R.I. Chagla, granting urgent interim relief, also barred the news portal from putting out any fresh or republished versions of the disputed material. “The articles cause severe damage and loss to the reputation of the plaintiff,” the Court observed, noting that even prior notice to Sprouts News could have resulted in further damage.
Godrej argued that Sprouts News crossed the line twice this month—first on August 13, when it accused the company of failing to secure a fire clearance based on a law that had long been repealed, and again on August 18, when it went so far as to stamp the Godrej logo with the word “Fraud.”
Calling the latter a “reckless and malicious insinuation of criminal conduct,” the Court ruled that the publication’s conduct was grossly injurious to the company’s brand and reputation with customers and investors.
The interim injunction requires Sprouts News to scrub the disputed content from its website and social media pages. While the news outlet has been allowed to seek modification or cancellation of the order with 48 hours’ notice, the restrictions remain in place until the next hearing on September 8.
