Delhi HC restrains TV9 from broadcasting defamatory news against GMR, DIAL

The Delhi High Court has restrained TV9 from re-broadcasting a news story implying financial discrepancies on the part of GMR Infrastructure Limited while renovating Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport..GMR, together with five other companies, joined a consortium named Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which has been granted the exclusive right to operate, modernize and manage the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport..In 2016, TV9 (owned by the Associated Broadcasting Company Private Limited) aired a story regarding the functioning and operations of IGI Airport as modernized by DIAL..GMR contended that the statements made in the story were concocted, distorted, scandalous, figments of imagination and broadcasted with the intention of hurting its name, reputation, and goodwill. Represented by Senior Advocate Abhinav Vasisht, GMR noted in its plaint a total of 29 different statements made in the broadcast that it believed to be defamatory in nature..It was further contended by GMR that after publication of the defamatory material, it had to face embarrassment while answering queries raised by people in business, government, creditors, employees, and others..TV9, represented by Senior Advocate JP Sengh, challenged the jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court to hear the matter, and claimed that the suit was an attempt to gag the freedom of the press..It was further submitted that the show was carried out based on information from reliable sources, including the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Reports, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reports and news that has been published and broadcasted by various other news media groups..The Single Judge Bench of Justice Mukta Gupta observed that,.“In view of the extensive factual corrections and counter-responses, this Court finds that there is a prima facie case of defamation in the Show.”.The Court then directed the channel to remove the story from all electronic/online media including YouTube. The channel is also restrained from re-broadcasting the said story..Read Judgment: