A Delhi court has allowed Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani to withdraw a civil defamation suit filed against investigative portal Cobrapost, The Economic Times, and other media entities in connection with reportage alleging large-scale financial improprieties involving his group companies, worth over Rs 41,000 crore.
Senior Civil Judge Vivek Beniwal of the Karkardooma Courts disposed of the proceedings while granting liberty to the plaintiff to institute a fresh action on the same cause of action, in accordance with settled principles of civil procedure. The court recorded that instructions to withdraw the suit had been received from the plaintiff, and a formal statement to that effect was placed on record.
The development followed an earlier order dated November 17, 2025, by which the trial court had declined to grant an ex parte ad interim injunction restraining the media outlets from publishing or circulating the impugned material. The court underscored that prior restraint could not be imposed without affording the defendants an opportunity of being heard, particularly in matters implicating press freedom and public interest reporting.
Judge Beniwal observed that in the absence of a prima facie examination of the factual matrix upon hearing both sides, it would be impermissible to conclude that the impugned reports were unverified, inaccurate, malicious, or irresponsible. He further noted that directing the takedown of material from the public domain at a preliminary stage would be premature and could amount to an unwarranted encroachment upon the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
The defamation suit, filed under the law of torts and the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, named defendants Cobrapost.com, Live Media and Publishers Private Limited, Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited, and John Doe entities representing unknown or unidentified parties allegedly involved in the dissemination of the impugned content. It termed the publications as defamatory and injurious to reputation.
The allegations stemmed from investigative reports asserting fraudulent conduct by companies associated with the Reliance Group, which were disputed by the plaintiff as false and reputation-damaging.
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