Five defamation cases that rocked corporate India

Before Nusli Wadia sued Tata Group for defamation, here are a few such cases that have set a precedent in India Inc

Industrialists often sue media houses and journalists alleging defamation and claiming crores of rupees in damages. But, there are some occasions, when they themselves become target of such cases. On Monday, Bombay Dyeing chairperson and independent director of some Tata group firms Nusli Wadia threatened to sue Tatas for defamation, if his demands were not met.

Here are some instances where corporations or their chieftains found themselves dragged to the court by their rivals, officials and others.

1. 1997: B V P Rao vs Rata Tata and others

B V P Rao contended that Tata Tea had twisted and suppressed the facts projecting him in a very poor light by alleging that there was no response from him as home secretary in December 1995 for providing security after the Tata Tea received a letter from the Ulfa demanding hundred walkie-talkie sets. Rao, who was then the state power commissioner, claimed damage of Rs 1 crore against the Tata Tea, its managing director R Krishna Kumar and chairman of Tata group of companies Ratan Tata.

2. 2006: R S Lodha vs B K Birla

Auditor R S Lodha, who had claimed that Priyamvada Birla had bequeathed her assets worth thousands of crores to him, sued industrialist B K Birla for damages of Rs 100 crore. He said Birla's statements in the media had tarnished his image. 

3. 2008: Anil Ambani vs Mukesh Ambani

Anil Ambani sued brother Mukesh for damages of Rs 10,000 crore for certain libelous statements by the latter in an interview to New York Times. The American publication and some Indian papers which reproduced this were also made respondents. Case was withdrawn after the truce between brothers a few years later.

4. 2010: Chris Cairns vs Lalit Modi

New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns sued the then IPL chairperson Lalit Modi, in the UK's first Twitter libel case over a defamatory tweet sent in January 2010, in which Modi referred to Cairns' alleged involvement in match-fixing as the reason for barring him from the IPL auction. "The allegation made by Lalit Modi that I have been involved in match fixing is scandalous and wholly untrue. For him to circulate such a falsehood around the world is outrageous," Cairns said in a statement. In 2012, a UK court awarded damages of 90,000 pounds and costs of 1.5 million pounds. Modi had said he would appeal.

5. 2014: Veritas vs Indiabulls

Canadian investment firm Veritas Investment filed a suit of settlement of claim in Ontario against Indiabulls claiming $11 million (Rs 70 crore) in damages for the alleged defamatory announcements and press releases put out by Indiabulls, which led to the closure of its India Research services. Indiabulls won an interim order against the move in Delhi High court. Few months later, it also filed a suit claiming Rs 200 crore damages from Veritas and its analyst Neeraj Monga for submissions made in the Ontario claim.