The Delhi High Court has issued notice to a business news website, while directing it not to publish or disseminate false and misleading articles over hospitality startup OYO.
The Single-Judge Bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice to business news website inventiva.co.in, owned by Nine Network Group, and directed it to file a reply within four weeks.
The High Court, while noting that irreparable harm would be caused to OYO if interim relief was not granted, directed the website to immediately take down six articles related to the hospitality startup.
The Court order said the defendants, including their servants, agents, representatives, employees and other constituents, have been barred from making, publishing and disseminating or publishing any false, defamatory, disparaging and misleading statements or articles pertaining to the plaintiff.
Senior Advocate Jayant Mehta, along with Advocates Raghav Sabharwal and Raghav Bhatia, represented OYO.
The hospitality startup had moved the High Court seeking defamatory action against the website for its articles, submitting that its brand has a credible reputation as a business in the eyes of investors, prospective investors and the general public.
As per the petitioner, the Nine Network Group was consistently publishing articles on their website containing false, unsubstantiated and disparaging claims against OYO.
The articles, which were freely available on the websites of the defendants, made palpably false, untrue, bald and unverified allegations against OYO and its founder, with a clear intent to damage their reputation, added the plea.
(Case title: Oravel Stays Ltd vs Nine Network Pvt Ltd & Ors)