“Not A Street Fight”: DHC Orders Ashneer Grover And BharatPe Officials Not To Use Defamatory Language

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered former BharatPe Managing Director (MD) Ashneer Grover and the fintech firm’s (BharatPe) officials not to use ‘unparliamentary’ and ‘defamatory’ language.

A single bench of Justice Prateek Jalan expressed displeasure with the language used by Grover and some BharatPe officials to target each other on social media and in the press.

“This is not a street fight between some rival gangs in the corner of the city. These are corporate people, educated people, articulate people who can surely adjudicate their grievances against each other in a more refined way,” the bench stated.

It added, “If you have both decided to enter the gutter, then please remain there.”

The single bench was hearing an application filed by BharatPe alleging that Grover has been making defamatory tweets since the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) registered a FIR against him and his family members.

BharatPe filed the application as part of its ongoing defamation suit in relation to Grover’s previous tweets.

The Court had asked Grover’s counsel to advise him to maintain decorum while dealing with the case in January 2023.

Senior Advocates Rajiv Nayar and Dayan Krishnan appeared for BharatPe and referred to some of Grover’s tweets alleging that the firm had spent several crores on “lawyers and fixers.”

Krishnan stated that if Grover disagrees with BharatPe’s complaint against him and the Delhi Police’s FIR, he can challenge it in criminal court.

Advocate Giriraj Subramanium, who appeared on Grover’s behalf, highlighted some of the tweets by BharatPe officials.

BharatPe officials, according to Subramanium, have used similar language against his clients on social media and levelled allegations against Grover in the press.

Following an examination of the content, the bench stated that such statements should not be made by both sides.

Advocate Subramanium stated that he will advise his client to speak in a more formal manner.

Grover, his wife Madhuri Jain, and other family members were charged with misappropriation of funds by the Delhi Police on May 10, 2023. BharatPe claimed that the total loss to them was nearly Rs 81 crores.

Grover and BharatPe have been embroiled in a legal battle since the former was fired from the company.