The City Civil Court Bangalore Grants Exparte Interim Injunction On A Quia Timet Action To Restrain Illicit And Defamatory Campaign

25th November, 2024 - 6:17 am Categories: Legal Case 0 Comments

In a matter relating to the grant of an ad-interim injunction against a threat to publish allegedly defamatory statement over the Internet, while having possession of a remedy under lawful recourse, the City Civil Court of Bengaluru temporarily restrained a Defendant from tarnishing the goodwill and reputation of a well-known cosmetic and beauty care brand, ‘Urbaine Consumer Pvt. Ltd.’, on social media via a smear campaign.  The Court granted the interim injunction order as an immediate cure and remedy.

The Plaintiff, Urbaine Consumer Pvt. Ltd., a wellness and cosmetic company operating under the brand name “The Wellness Shop,” instituted a suit against the Defendant, a consumer who had purchased a product from the Plaintiff. Despite its recent establishment, the Plaintiff had reportedly built a thriving business with a pan-India presence.

The Defendant, dissatisfied with their experience, allegedly threatened to tarnish the Plaintiff’s reputation by initiating a smear campaign on social media. In response, the Plaintiff sought an ad-interim injunction to restrain the Defendant from engaging in conduct that could harm its goodwill and reputation.

The City Civil Court, upon consideration of the matter, issued a temporary injunction order against the Defendant. The order restrained the Defendant from creating, publishing, uploading, or disseminating any false, defamatory, or misleading statements or posts that could result in harm to the Plaintiff’s reputation. The injunction was granted to preserve the Plaintiff’s goodwill and mitigate potential damage to its reputation until the next date of hearing.

The case serves as a notable example of judicial intervention through interim relief to address and prevent reputational harm arising from defamatory campaigns on social media platforms.

The Plaintiff Company was represented by Khurana & Khurana, Advocates & IP Attorneys through its litigation team Tarun Khurana, Abhijeet Deshmukh, Amarjeet Kumar, Arjun Santhosh  and Ms. Sumana Satyamurthy.