'Cutting South 2023': Delhi High Court Issues Notice On Newslaundry’s Defamation Suit Against Kerala Based Channel ‘Karma News’

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice on a defamation suit filed by news portal Newslaundry and another news entity against Karma News, a Kerala-based news channel, for “launching a misinformation campaign” against it and other media organizations which hosted a media event “Cutting South 2023” in Kochi in March.

The defamation suit has been filed by Newslaundry and Confluence Media Online Ventures Private Limited. Apart from a mandatory injunction, they have also sought an apology from Karma News along with Rs. 2 Crores as damages and compensation.

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notice to Karma News as well as Youtube, which was used by the news channel as a medium for publishing and circulating the alleged defamatory content, as per the suit.

“Issue notice. Let the plaint be registered as a suit,” the court recorded in the order.

During the hearing, the counsel representing the defendant news channel, on instructions, submitted that no comment, video or article will be published against the plaintiff news entities regarding the dispute involved in the suit, till the next date of hearing.

“The counsel for defendant no. 1 on instructions submits that they will not, in any manner, directly or indirectly, publish any comment or communicate any video, article or any other material referring to the dispute in the suit, until further orders till the next date of hearing,” the court recorded.

The matter will now be heard in August. Justice Ohri has asked both the defendants to file their written submissions to the suit within 30 days.

On March 25, Newslaundry, Confluence Media, along with The News Minute, had partnered with the Kerala Media Academy in Kochi to host the media event to celebrate journalism.

As per the suit, the name "Cutting South 2023" does not connote to divide anything and in fact, has been coined from the usage of “Cutting Chai” which implies a local tea with added flavors. The suit adds that the name is “meant to be connote a sense of nostalgia, familiarity truth and comfort.”

“To the shock and surprise of the Plaintiffs, soon after the event and even during the same, the Defendant No. 1 launched a campaign misinformation beginning 24.03.2023, and since then have done a series of stories and telecasts (including videos ori the web portals of Defendant No. 2) · against the prestigious event with malicious intent to damage the reputation of the Plaintiffs who came together for the event,” the suit reads.

Some of the allegations made by the defendant news channel, as per the suit, are that the plaintiff news entities “intend to separate the country and divide India into North and South creating a United States of India or South India”; that the event is a “program of a larger terrorist movement and an anti-national movement of the people who are trying to divide the country.”

The suit has been filed through Advocates Uddav Khanna and Krishan Kumar. Newslaundry and Confluence Media was represented by Advocate Bani Dikshit.

Title: News Laundry Media Pvt. Ltd. & Anr. v. Galaxy Zoom India Pvt. Ltd. and Anr