Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani has withdrawn his defamation suit against Cobrapost, The Economic Times and others, with liberty to refile, after his counsel informed the Delhi court that he had received instructions to withdraw from the plaintiff himself.
NEW DELHI: Reliance Group Chairman and businessman Anil Ambani has withdrawn the defamation suit he filed before a Delhi court against investigative platform Cobrapost, The Economic Times, and other media organisations over allegations that his companies were involved in fraud exceeding Rs. 41,000 crore. The case was withdrawn with the freedom to file a fresh suit on the same cause of action.
Senior Civil Judge Vivek Beniwal at Karkardooma Courts permitted the withdrawal after Ambani’s counsel informed the court about receiving instructions from the plaintiff to do so.
Based on this submission, the court disposed of the suit through an order dated December 10, 2025.
The court stated:
“Ld. Counsel for the plaintiff submits that he has received instructions from the plaintiff to withdraw the present matter with liberty to file a fresh suit on the same cause of action… In view of the same, present suit stands disposed of being withdrawn.”
As a result, the next hearing scheduled for January 15, 2026, has been cancelled, and the case file is to be archived.
This development came shortly after the court, on November 17, 2025, refused to issue an ex parte ad interim injunction sought by Ambani to immediately restrain the media outlets from publishing the allegedly defamatory material.
Ambani had urged the court to order removal of the reports without hearing the defendants. Declining the plea, the court ruled that the defendants must first be heard before any restraining order could be contemplated.
The court cautioned against imposing publication bans without a preliminary finding of falsity or malice.
The court noted:
“Without hearing the defendants, it would not be proper to conclude that the statements or publications in question are unverified, inaccurate, malicious or irresponsible,”
The court further warned that removing content at this stage would be premature and could infringe constitutional free speech protections.
The judge asserted:
“Such a course of action risks transgressing the guarantee under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India and would constitute an unwarranted intrusion into the fundamental freedom of speech and expression.”
The suit had named Cobrapost.com, Live Media and Publishers Pvt. Ltd., Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd. (publisher of The Economic Times), along with unidentified “John Doe” parties allegedly involved in disseminating the material.
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Ambani had contended that the reports accusing his companies of massive financial wrongdoing were defamatory, baseless, and damaging to his reputation.
With the matter now withdrawn, the substantive issues raised in the suit remain undecided. Notably, on November 17, the court had issued summons in the defamation case but declined Ambani’s request for interim restraints, observing he did not demonstrate a sufficiently strong case at that stage.
His counsel, Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, thereafter chose not to pursue the injunction plea any further, and the court proceeded with issuance of summons in the main suit.
Prior to this, on November 13, the court had considered submissions on the request for an ex parte injunction.
The Court stated,
“List for orders on the interim injunction application and for consideration of the main suit on 17.11.2025.”
Case Title: Anil D. Ambani Vs. Cobrapost.com & Ors.
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