Indiabulls withdraws plea to restrict Swamy, social media

New Delhi, Oct. 11: The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed Indiabulls Housing Finance to withdraw its plea seeking to restrain BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and social media giants Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp from publishing or disseminating any “false, offending or defamatory” allegations against it. Justice Mukta Gupta allowed the application saying the suit is “dismissed as withdrawn”.

The court had in September passed an interim order restraining Swamy and the social media giants from publishing or disseminating any “false, offending or defamatory” allegations against the company. It had also directed a web portal and the social media platforms to remove or take down the “offending false messages” from their platforms.

During the hearing, IBHFL counsel sought to withdraw the suit saying they hope that there is going to be quietus now.

When the judge asked the counsel the reason for withdrawing or if there was any other problem, he said he was also surprised with this move but he has been instructed to close it.

The court had on September 13 issued summons to web portal PGurus, its CEO and cartoonists, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Rajya Sabha MP Swamy, and sought their responses on a suit by IBHFL.

This, it had said, was resulting in the company’s shares declining drastically.

It had referred to the alleged defamatory statements purportedly made by Swamy and disseminated by PGurus through social media.