Anil Ambani Seeks Delhi Court Injunction Against Economic Times for Defamatory Reports

Anil Ambani Files a lawsuit against Major Newspapers.

The chairman of Reliance Group, Anil Ambani has initiated a huge legal tussle in a Delhi court against some of the leading media houses. He has sued the investigative news site Cobrapost and the large daily newspapers, The Economic Times, and The Times of India, on defamation claims. The plaintiff in the case also mentions Bennett Coleman and Company Limited (BCCL), the publisher of the two newspapers on the suit.

The businessman is trying to safeguard his reputation that he states has been brutally attacked in recent publications. The case was registered in Delhi Karkardooma Courts where the Ambani law team is urging the court to move into action. This action is an indication of an immense response to the industrialist of what he considers to be false reports that are negatively affecting his personal reputation and corporate interests.

It is an issue of law that brings the emphasis on the simmer within the relationship between high-profile business individuals and the role of the media in covering the corporate behavior. The suit filed by Ambani is not only to recover damages but also an effort to put the flow of information he refers to as sensationalized and malign to a halt. This is an issue that both the corporate and media circles will be keen on how the court will rule.

The essence of the litigation is not merely concerning earlier articles alone, but also averting future articles. Ambani is contending that in the absence of the court interference, his image will be damaged beyond repair. The case has now been put before a Senior Civil Judge who has already started listening to preliminarily hearing of the case presented by Ambani.

The Crucible of the Contention: A Mammoth Fraud Charge.

A detailed investigative report published on October 30 by Cobrapost was the trigger of the lawsuit. This report presented the bombshell claim that firms in Reliance Group of Anil Ambani had engaged in a big financial fraud. This purported fraud was stated to be in excess of 41,921 crore in the report and was being practised since 2006.

Cobrapost report claimed that this was not an accident as it was a systematic, long-term diversion of funds. It alleged that there was a misappropriation of money among the different group entities, which were against the financial rules and regulations of corporations. These are very grave charges, which go to the core of the company in terms of financial integrity and management styles.

After Cobrapost publication, the story became picked by the rest of the big news houses including The Economic Times. The latter reports provided the accusations with a vastly greater publicity, making the accusations go national. It is this republication and increased spread of the original story that has seen The Economic Times and its publisher included in the defamation suit.

The lawyers of Ambani maintain that these newspapers had publicized the charges without their due due diligence. They argue that the publications did not do their due diligence, but rather repeated what Ambani has pleaded about as false and unsubstantiated. Such republication, according to him, prevents them of being any less liable to the damage done.

The Claim of Ambani: False and Malicious Reporting.

Anil Ambani has presented a case to the court claiming in his petition that the reports are purely fictitious and do not have any factual ground. He says the articles are a calculated move to tarnish his name and that of his companies. The plea explains that the publications were created with the exclusive intention of making the story sensational to be consumed by the population.

In his legal filing, it claims that such reporting has led to an irreparable damage in both his personal reputation and the faith of people in his group. Good reputation and investor confidence are important assets in the business and finance world. The plea of Ambani implies that these news items have directly harmed such non-physical yet critical parts of his business empire.

His attorneys argue that the media organizations in question failed to give the factual ground on their assertions. In the petition filed by Ambani, the charges were made as facts without having the evidence to back up the claims. This, he says, is taking the boundary of responsible journalism to the defamation arena.

The suit also charges that the publications are also in a vile campaign against him. When he brought this to court, then Ambani is technically questioning the accuracy of the reports. He is petitioning the legal system to support his stand that the media houses have been baseless, irresponsible and unethical with the claims.

The Legal Objective: An Emergency Injunction.

This is not a lengthy and protracted trial, but rather a speedy legal solution that Anil Ambani needs. His attorneys have requested the court to grant him an ex parte ad interim injunction. This in ordinary language can be said to be a temporary extension of the current case to an urgency order by the court which can immediately prevent the media houses to publish or distribute any additional materials to these fraud claims.

The ex parte part is important: it implies that Ambani has asked the order to be issued without the defendants being heard, as it is possible to hear only his side. This is a typical legal strategy in the cases where the individual who goes to court thinks that the delay would automatically lead to the damage that would be immediate and permanent. He is actually informing the court that it is an emergency.

Provided such an injunction is granted, this would practically prevent Cobrapost, The Economic Times and The Times of India to raise any more reporting on this particular story until the court has the opportunity to listen to the entire case. This poses complicated issues regarding press freedom and freedom of information to the masses versus the right of an individual to safeguard his reputation against their perceived false allegations.

The court is presided over by Senior Civil Judge Vivek Beniwal in which initial arguments in the case were presented by the Ambanis, in which case Senior Advocate Vijay Aggarwal leads the case on behalf of the company. The court has put the case on hold and reserved its order which will be issued on November 17. This is the next move that will decide the next move in this high profile court tussle.