The Bombay High Court has mandated that social media platforms and news agencies eliminate all defamatory posts and harmful content directed at Malabar Gold & Diamonds related to its new showroom launch in the UK. A negative campaign targeting Malabar Gold & Diamonds was initiated on various social media platforms, where a local influencer was engaged to promote the brand in London. In response to this campaign, the brand sought legal recourse from the Bombay HC and obtained an interim order instructing certain media entities and social media platforms to retract and erase such defamatory news and reports. Malabar Gold & Diamonds employed a company to manage its promotional efforts during the opening of a new showroom in Birmingham, UK.
This local firm was exclusively tasked with selecting social media influencers for brand promotion. The brand contended in court that some groups with vested interests are intentionally spreading false information and defamatory narratives about the jewellery company during the festive season to damage its reputation and brand value. Senior advocate Naushad Engineer, representing Malabar Gold & Diamonds, argued that the jewellery group should not be subjected to malicious campaigns by competitors simply because it had previously utilized the services of a UK-based influencer for promotional activities.
Acknowledging this argument, Bombay HC judge Justice Sandeep V Marne issued a strong warning against such actions, ordering the relevant media organizations to withdraw and eliminate all defamatory news, reports, and content that are publicly available. The court ruling also prohibits the publication of any printed material on this matter. The media entities affected include Meta Platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram), Google (YouTube), X (previously Twitter), and news agencies such as The Pamphlet, Only Fact, Latest Newspaper Agency, ABC Malayalam News, Jab Studios, and Ashok Kumar.