Delhi High Court fines Ashneer Grover of Rs 2 lakh for defamatory content

By: Pune Pulse

November 29, 2023

Pune: The Delhi High Court has imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh on Ashneer Grover, the co-founder of BharatPe, for disregarding its order and sharing defamatory material about the fintech company. The court expressed its shock and disappointment at the continuous and flagrant violation.

Justice Rekha Palli’s bench acknowledged Grover’s sincere apology for his past actions and his commitment to refrain from posting any further content in the future. Consequently, the court dismissed Bharat Pe’s request to restrain Grover from sharing defamatory material on social media but instructed Grover to pay the fine within a week.

Representing BharatPe, senior advocate Amit Sibal informed the court that on May 16, it had instructed both parties to avoid using disrespectful and defamatory language towards each other. Sibal further stated that Grover had initially published defamatory tweets, which were later deleted. However, on May 26, Grover voluntarily removed the defamatory posts and pledged to comply with the court’s previous order. Sibal emphasized that Grover had blatantly disregarded the court’s directive.

Giriraj Subramanium, a senior advocate representing Grover, stated that his client is offering an apology and committing to comply with the court’s directives, refraining from sharing any defamatory material about BharatPe.