Delhi High Court ordered Newslaundry to remove abusive and disparaging remarks against TV Today and its channels. Court said such content can cause “irreparable harm” and deserves immediate legal protection.
The Delhi High Court on Friday directed digital media platform Newslaundry to remove certain content that was found to be insulting and damaging to TV Today Network and its channels, Aaj Tak and India Today. The Court passed this interim order while hearing cross appeals filed by both Newslaundry and TV Today in an ongoing legal dispute involving allegations of defamation, disparagement, and copyright infringement.
A Division Bench comprising Justices C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla observed that some of the language used by Newslaundry in its content was clearly offensive and crossed the limits of fair criticism.
The Court specifically took issue with the use of words such as “shit”, “shit show”, “high on weed or opium” and “your punctuation is as bad as your journalism”, and ordered that these remarks must be removed from all online platforms, including social media and Newslaundry’s website.
While delivering its decision, the Court agreed with the earlier findings of the single-judge Bench and stated,
“We are in agreement with the learned single judge’s finding that a prima facie case of commercial disparagement has been made out. The statements identified in the impugned order [of the single judge] are clearly without any independent standard and are biased and therefore constituted disparagement under the applicable legal principles,”
the Court ruled.
The Bench further noted that allowing such statements to remain online would cause serious damage to TV Today’s reputation. It emphasized that such harm could not be fixed through money or any other legal remedy. The Court said,
“Such harm cannot be compensated by monetary relief or any other relief. Therefore, interim protection is warranted… Any refusal of interim protection at this stage will cause great prejudice to the plaintiff [TV Today],”
the Court.
Based on these observations, the Court partly allowed TV Today’s appeal and directed Newslaundry to immediately take down the objectionable remarks.
The dispute between the two media organizations dates back to October 2021, when TV Today filed a lawsuit against Newslaundry. In its plea, TV Today alleged that Newslaundry had published videos and articles that harmed its reputation by making “false, malicious and derogatory” statements about its news channels, anchors, and management.
On the other hand, Newslaundry defended its content by arguing that it was engaging in media criticism and satire, which is protected under the right to freedom of speech.
Earlier, on July 29, 2022, a single-judge Bench of the Delhi High Court had refused to grant interim relief to TV Today. This led both parties to file appeals before the Division Bench. TV Today challenged the denial of interim protection, while Newslaundry raised concerns that the Court’s observations about a prima facie case could negatively affect its position.
During earlier hearings in January 2025, the Division Bench had strongly reacted to the use of the word “shit” by Newslaundry journalist Manisha Pande in one of the videos. The Court had initially warned that such language could invite strict observations that might impact her professional career.
However, the Bench later clarified its stance and reassured that no such action was intended. It stated,
“She may be a good journalist. This may be an aberration also. At that point, that was our gut reaction…You can tell the journalist concerned that she need not be worried about this,”
the Court had said at the time.
The case saw representation from multiple legal counsels. Advocates Hrishikesh Baruah, Kumar Kshitij, Utkarsh Dwivedi, Pragya Agarwal, Yashaswy Ghosh and Nishtha Sachan appeared on behalf of TV Today. Newslaundry was represented by Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao along with advocates Bani Dikshit and Uddhav Khanna.
This interim order highlights the Court’s approach in balancing freedom of speech with protection against reputational harm, especially in cases involving media criticism and competing news platforms.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Newslaundry
