HC fines BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover ₹2 lakh for defamatory content

The Delhi high court on Tuesday fined BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover ₹2 lakh for violating its order and posting defamatory content against the fintech company, saying it was appalled by the persistent blatant violation.

A bench of Justice Rekha Palli took note of Grover’s unconditional apology for his past behaviour and an undertaking to not post any further content in the future. It disposed of Bharat Pe’s plea seeking to restrain Grover from posting defamatory content on social media by directing Grover to deposit the fine within a week.

Senior advocate Amit Sibal, who appeared for BharatPe, said the high court on May 16 directed the parties to avoid unparliamentary and defamatory language against each other. He added Grover published defamatory tweets and then deleted them. He said Grover on May 26 voluntarily sought to remove the defamatory posts and promised to abide by the court’s previous order. Sibal said Grover blatantly violated the order.

Senior advocate Giriraj Subramanium, who appeared for Grover, submitted his client was tendering an apology and giving an undertaking to abide by the court’s orders and not post any defamatory content against BharatPe.