Delhi court refuses to lift ban on media reports linking Manoj Sandesaras to Sterling Biotech bank fraud

A Delhi court today refused to lift a gag order passed in April banning any news content linking Manoj Kesari Chand Sandesara or his family members to the alleged Sterling Biotech bank fraud case. 

The court confirmed an April 4 ex parte interim injunction order that had directed Google, Meta and John Doe defendants (unknown persons) to de-index, de-list, and de-reference the URLs and content of articles flagged by Sandesara. The order was passed after Sandesara filed a defamation case.

Senior Civil Judge Richa Sharma of the Tis Hazari Courts today observed that Sandesara is entitled to the takedown of defamatory news articles, videos falsely linking the Sandesara family to a bank fraud involving Sterling Biotech Limited.

"The plaintiffs have duly demonstrated that they would suffer an irreparable harm to their public image, if the injunction is not granted."

The Court also cautioned media houses and journalists against carrying out unverified or false reportage on the issue.

"When media reportage goes beyond fair comment and results in defamation, prejudices public image of anyone, or interferes with the administration of justice, it falls within the scope of reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) ... The media cannot publish any material which is in reckless disregard of the truth or which is palpably false," the order said.

It clarified that the gag order only applies to defamatory content, on not to reporting the Supreme Court's orders on the issue.

"The defendants are perse not restrained from printing and posting anything that forms a part of the Apex courts order, but are duly being restrained only from publishing / printing / writing etc. any article which is of defamatory nature in context to plaintiff, the question of irreparable harm in the light of balancing of rights between the contesting parties, stands tilted in favour of the plaintiff."

In his defamation suit, Sandesara had argued that various news reports and videos hosted on digital platforms falsely portrayed him and his family as “fugitives” and perpetrators of financial crimes. He contended that such content remained accessible online despite the resolution of proceedings before the Supreme Court.

According to the plea, the Supreme Court in November and December 2025 had accepted a settlement involving payment exceeding ₹5,100 crore to lender banks and ordered the quashing of criminal proceedings and related investigations against the promoters. 

Sandesara also invoked the right to be forgotten, arguing that the persistence of such content violates his fundamental rights to privacy and dignity and continued to damage his personal and business reputation.

In the April order, Judge Sharma had agreed with Sandesara that any publication, re- publication or circulation of content linking him and his family members to Sterling Biotech Limited and bank fraud would amount to reputational harm and stigma. 

The judge added that the media publications are not “in spirit of the right to freedom of press/media as the same is not an absolute right and is to be exercised within permissible limits”.

Among those who had published articles/ content flagged as defamatory by Sandesara was journalist Sucheta Dalal's MoneyLife magazine and its digital news portal. MoneyLife had published three articles and a YouTube video on the issue.

Dalal had earlier challenged the April gag order before a district court. However, District Judge Vinod Kumar Meena dismissed Dalal's appeal as not maintainable.

The district court opined that she can approach the civil judge who passed the April order instead, who was yet to finally decide Sandesara's temporary injunction application.

Meanwhile, Google also sought the vacation of the April gag order, arguing that it was obtained by suppression of material facts, misrepresentation of law and without impleading necessary and proper parties. Meta, challenged the order for being too broad and impractical to implement. Dalal also sought the vacation of the April order.

The court today has effectively rejected these challenges. Since it has confirmed the April gag order on merits, the applications to vacate the order were closed by the court as infructuous.

[Read order]