Overview
- A division bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla held that certain statements were ex facie commercial disparagement likely to cause irreparable harm to TV Today.
- Newslaundry was directed to take down phrases such as “shit show,” “shit reporters,” “high on weed or opium,” and “your punctuation is as bad as your journalism” from videos and social media.
- The court rejected Newslaundry’s reliance on its claimed high journalistic standards and public-interest mission as a blanket defense and noted indications of malicious targeting.
- The appeals stem from TV Today’s 2022 suit seeking Rs 2 crore over alleged copyright infringement and defamation, with reporting differing on the number of impugned items.
- The bench contrasted fair critique with denigration by a direct competitor and emphasized that monetary relief would not remedy reputational damage at this stage.