(Image source from: Suryaa.com)

Court Bars News Portal To Report On Amit Shah’s Son’s Business:- News portal “The Wire” has been barred by the Ahmedabad court from from publishing any further report on Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah’s son Jay’s business turnover. This move is to be implemented “so that the right to live with dignity of the plaintiff (Jay) may be protected”.

A leading news channel reported that even though notice was not served upon the opposite parties (The Wire, its editor, the writer of the article, and others), the “injunction should be granted to applicant/plaintiff (Jay)” observed the Additional Senior Civil Judge BK Dasondi of Ahmedabad rural court.

The order read, “…it is mandatory for this court to issue notice of such application to the opposite party (The Wire). But in the present case, it appears that if an immediate remedy is not given to the applicant, there is a chance of publishing the news, for which the present plaintiff has filed the suit.”

A criminal defamation suit had been filed by Jay, on October 9, in a metropolitan court in Ahmedabad. The case was filed against seven respondents, including author of the article and editor of the web portal. The report, detailed the growth of Jay Shah’s company. It showed revenues of the company, Temple Enterprise Private Ltd from Rs 50,000 in 2014-15 to Rs 80.5 crore in 2015-16. The report was written by Rohini Singh in ‘The Wire’.

The order said, “This court is of the opinion that if the application (of Jay) is not allowed, then it may lead to prejudice with the rights and interest of the applicant.”

The judge had forbidden the website from “using and publishing or printing in any electronic, print, digital or any other media, or broadcast, telecast, print and publish… in any language on the basis of article published in “The Wire” dated 8/10/17 either directly or indirectly on the subject matter with respect to plaintiff in any manner whatsoever”, in the order issued last week. On October 12, the order was passed, as per which Jay had filed a Rs 100 crore defamation suit against the author, editor and owner of ‘The Wire’.

Senior counsel Nirupam Nanavati, appearing for Jay, submitted, “If ad-interim injunction will not be granted, then the defendants may tarnish the reputation and dignity of the plaintiff.”

Judge Dasondi, citing two judgments of the Delhi High Court, wrote, “…this court has discretionary power to grant interim relief in case where the defendants no-1 to 7 has published online news, for which the present suit has been filed by the plaintiff. It appears to this court that injunction should be granted to applicant/plaintiff…”

SUPRAJA