Industrialist Anil Ambani has filed a defamation suit in the Bombay High Court against Republic TV and its Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami. In his plea, Ambani has sought an injunction against the channel, claiming that its continuous coverage has seriously harmed his reputation.
The case is expected to come up for hearing on 1st April before Justice Milind Jadhav.
Allegations of misleading coverage
In his petition, Ambani said he is deeply aggrieved by several recent reports and articles published by the channel and circulated across its TV broadcasts and social media platforms. According to the suit, these reports link him to ongoing investigations by the Enforcement Directorate involving certain Reliance Group companies.
“These Offending Publications and Offending Statements claim to report on the regulatory proceedings… in relation to certain corporate entities, namely Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM), Reliance Home Finance Limited, and/or Reliance Commercial Finance Limited,” the suit states.
Ambani has argued that these claims are misleading and create a false impression of his involvement in matters where he had no role.
Denial of operational role in companies
The industrialist has clarified that he had stepped down as the Non-Executive Director of Reliance Communications in November 2019 and did not hold any executive or managerial role in the companies being referred to.
“The Companies were distinct entities, and the Applicant was not involved in the day-to-day management and decision-making operations,” the plea said.
He further said that despite being aware of these facts, the channel and its anchor continued to falsely link him to the allegations under investigation. The suit claims that this was done “maliciously, falsely and irresponsibly” to damage his image.
Claims of defamatory labelling and damage to reputation
Ambani has also accused the defendants of using sensational language and defamatory labels in their coverage. According to him, he has been portrayed as a “financial scam mastermind, cheat, money launderer, fraud, etc.”
“These imputations have created a false perception of guilt and have exposed the Applicant to public hatred, ridicule, and contempt,” the suit states, adding that it has caused “grave and irreparable injury” to his reputation, dignity and professional standing.
Seeking legal remedy for losses
Through this legal action, Ambani has sought compensation and relief for both financial and reputational damage caused by the alleged defamatory content.
“The present suit seeks redressal in respect of the losses/injury caused to the Applicant… The Defendants have acted unlawfully, maliciously, recklessly and/or negligently and caused serious loss and injury,” the plea adds.
The court will now examine whether the coverage in question crossed legal limits and whether Ambani is entitled to the relief he has sought.
