The Bombay High Court has granted activist Swapnesh Sherlekar three weeks to file a reply in the defamation suit filed by House of Abhinandan Lodha Pvt Ltd against him. The court has asked Sherlekar to justify his statements, which the company claims are defamatory. Until the next hearing, the court has restrained Sherlekar from disseminating statements that are part of documents submitted to the court.
Company's allegations
In its defamation suit, House of Abhinandan Lodha Pvt Ltd stated that such loose and defamatory statements are causing grave harm to its reputation and that these statements then get widely reported and disseminated to the public at large. The company sought interim relief to restrain Sherlekar from making such statements.
Activist's defense
Sherlekar's advocate submitted that there is no urgency in the matter since these statements were made in 2024 and also form part of a public interest litigation pending before the Goa bench of this court. He added that Sherlekar is only justifying making these statements, as they are based on cogent material that supports them.
The court's order allows Sherlekar time to prepare his response while maintaining the status quo regarding the contested statements.
