100 Crore Defamation Case: Telangana Court Directs 'The Wire' To Take Down Articles Against Bharat Biotech In An Ad-Interim Ex-Parte Order

A defamation suit of Rs. 100 crore is filed by pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech against the publisher of The Wire, its editors, and writers who have written denigrating articles against Bharat Biotech and its developed covid vaccine COVAXIN.

The suit is filed before XVI Additional District Judge, Rangareddy Court.

Senior Counsel K. Vivek Reddy, appearing for the Petitioner/Plaintiff Bharat Biotech, argued that The Wire had published articles on its website with false allegations against Bharat Biotech and COVAXIN without there being any truth and proper verification of the facts which has severely damaged the reputation of the Petitioner.

'The Wire published several articles making false statements without proper fact check about the regulatory approvals granted to Bharat Biotech. Even after the Government of India had approved the vaccine, articles continued to be published otherwise on The Wire'

The Court observed that Bharat Biotech is the sole vaccine candidate to be authorized to manufacture the vaccine for inoculation of children between 15 to 18 years and the impugned defamatory and false articles published by The Wire will increase vaccine hesitancy.

Mr. Reddy relied on the judgment in Dr. Mukul M. Sangma v. P.A. Sangma, 2014 SCC Online Del 1956 for grant of interim injunction on the basis that the statements are unarguably defamatory and there is evidence of a malicious intention to repeat or publish the defamatory statements.

"I am of the considered opinion that the petitioner has shown prima facie case and balance of convenience in favour of the petitioner and that if no injunction is granted and if an urgent notice is ordered, the very purpose of this suit as well as this application will be defeated. Hence, I am of the considered opinion that in order to avoid multiplicity of proceedings, this is a fit case to dispense with the issuance of prior notice before ordering ad-interim injunction directing the respondents from further publishing any defamatory articles regarding the petitioner and its product Covaxin. Hence, prior notice is dispensed with". the court said in the Order.

The Court directed the removal of 14 defamatory articles from the website and internet within 48 hours. The matter is listed next posted on 16.03.2022.

Siddharth Varadarajan, the Editor of the Wire, took to Twitter to express his dismay over the order of the Court as no opportunity was granted to the company for refuting false claims of the Petitioner.