The Bombay High Court has while restraining Sprouts News from publishing allegedly defamatory articles against Godrej has observed that they are prima facie false, reckless, malicious and grossly injurious.

The Court was considering an Application in a Suit by Godrej seeking urgent ex-parte ad-interim relief restraining the Defendants, including Sprouts News, from publishing allegedly defamatory material and statements or any further similar defamatory material causing severe damage and loss to the reputation of the Plaintiff.

The Bench of Justice RI Chagla ordered, "Having perused paragraph 23 of the Plaint, I find that the Plaintiff has made out a strong prima facie case for restraining the Defendants from publishing articles containing statements which in my prima facie view is false, reckless, malicious and grossly injurious and damaging to the Plaintiffs business and commercial reputation. This is after perusing the contents of the impugned Articles dated 13th August, 2025 and 18th August, 2025. In particular the impugned Article dated 18th August, 2025 where the Defendants has placed the term ‘Fraud” upon the Plaintiff’s logo and registered trademark and brand insignia of namely Godrej Properties Ltd., thereby conveying to the public a reckless and malicious insinuation of criminal conduct."

The Applicant was represented by Senior Advocate Virag Tulzapurkar.

Facts of the Case

Senior Counsel for the Applicant-Plaintiff submitted that the Defendants have published the defamatory impugned articles which are materially false, per se defamatory, reckless, malicious and grossly injurious and defaming to the Plaintiff’s business and commercial reputation. In the said defamatory material, the Plaintiff has been accused of several criminal offences which is false, malicious and per se defamatory. He referred to paragraph 23 (a) to (f) wherein the Plaintiff has dealt with the Defendant’s various false, malicious and per se defamatory statements in the said impugned Articles.

The Senior Counsel submitted that the Defendants have by publishing the online impugned articles have given an impression to the buyers in the subject project that there is no mandatory fire NOC obtained by the Plaintiff by referring to the repealed Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2009. The title of the 1st Article reads as “Godrej’s Rs.5,000 Crore plus project under fire over by ‘toothless’ HRERA". He further submitted that the second impugned article is even more damaging to the Plaintiff than the first as it places the term ‘Fraud’ upon the Plaintiff’s logo and registered trademark and brand insignia, namely Godrej Properties. He accordingly submitted that the Defendants are required to be injuncted from publishing Defamatory Material and / or continuing with such publication of the said Defamatory Material at Exhibit ‘C’ and ‘E’ to the Plaint and which defamatory statements have been set out and expressly denied in paragraph 23 of the Plaint.

Reasoning By Court

The Court found that a case has been made for the Plaintiff seeking urgent ex-parte ad-interim relief.

"Giving of notice to the Defendants would result in the Defendants publishing / further publishing the material which in my prima facie view is per se defamatory and / or publishing further similar defamatory material causing severe damage and loss to the reputation of the Plaintiff", the Court observed.

The Interim Application was accordingly placed for further consideration on September 08, 2025.

Cause Title: Godrej Properties Ltd. vs. M/s. Sprouts News and Anr.

Appearances:

Petitioner- Senior Advocate Virag Tulzapurkar, Senior Advocate Sharan Jagtiani, Advocate Mayur Khandeparkar, Advocate Karan Bhide, Advocate Nitesh

Ranavat, Advocate Disha Shetty

Click here to read/ download Order





Bombay High CourtJustice RI Chagla

Sheetal Joon