The Delhi High Court has restrained Lavangiri Ansar Basha from posting abusive content against upGrad. The court held that the right to fair comment doesn’t include the right to abuse.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court recently passed an order stopping a man named Lavangiri Ansar Basha from posting any insulting or abusive content against the online education company upGrad. The case was heard by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who issued an interim injunction on July 25, 2025.
This order will be valid until August 22, 2025, when the court will hear the matter again.
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The court took this step after Basha, who has been making serious allegations against upGrad on social media, failed to appear before the court on the day of the hearing. In his posts, Basha had accused upGrad of misleading students and giving them poor-quality education content.
He said that over 700 students were left in a difficult situation after a course they had enrolled in was suddenly shut down.
Basha also claimed that he paid Rs 4 lakh for a program offered in collaboration with Golden Gate University.
According to him, he also spent one full year preparing for an F1 student visa to study in the USA, but upGrad failed to deliver what it had promised.
In response, upGrad filed a case in the High Court, asking for a court order to stop Basha from posting any more negative or defamatory statements against the company.
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The company also mentioned that even after the legal case was filed and served on Basha, he made another mocking post on LinkedIn criticizing the legal action taken against him.
upGrad further told the Court that Basha had already filed a case before the District Consumer Forum in Kapda District, Andhra Pradesh. That case, which deals with his complaints about the service, is still ongoing.
The company also said that it had offered to refund the entire fee Basha had paid, in order to settle the matter peacefully. However, Basha refused the offer.
After reviewing the case, the High Court observed that even though there is a commercial disagreement between the two parties, it does not give anyone the right to use abusive or disrespectful language on social media.
The Court said:
“Since, defendant no. 1 [Basha] has elected to not be present at hearing today, until the next date of hearing, defendant no. 1 is restrained from uploading any social media post or videos on social media platforms using the plaintiff’s trademark ‘upGrad’ or using any explicit or abusive against the plaintiff, its management and its employees.”
The judge also commented that:
“The defendant no. 1 in its post has used the plaintiff’s mark ‘upGrad’ as a hashtag and has simultaneously created alike hashtags using part of the plaintiff’s mark by joining it with derogatory words like ‘scam’ and ‘fraud’. The intent of defendant no. 1 to disparage the plaintiff’s mark is writ large.”
The Court made it clear that the right to free speech and fair criticism does not mean that one can abuse or insult a person or company, even if they are unhappy with the services provided.
“The existence of a commercial dispute between the two parties cannot justify posting abusive comments against upGrad, and the right to fair comment does not include the right to abuse.”
Senior Advocate Gaurav Pachnanda appeared on behalf of upGrad, along with advocates Mohit Goel, Sidhant Goel, Deepankar Mishra, Kartikeya Tandon, and Nikita Jaitley from the law firm Sim and San.
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The Court’s decision is aimed at maintaining dignity in public discourse, especially on social media, and protecting a company’s reputation while legal disputes are being resolved through proper forums like the consumer courts.
This case will now be heard again on August 22, 2025, and until then, Basha cannot post any social media content that includes the name “upGrad” or uses insulting or offensive language against the company or its team.
Case Title:
Upgrad Education Private Limited v Lavangiri Ansar Basha and Ors
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