Shilpi Nama
On 6th June, 2025, a court in Delhi mandated that Hindustan Times and its ex-journalist Neelesh Misra compensate businessman Arun Kumar Gupta, the founder of Darts IT Network, with Rs. 40 lakh in damages. This compensation is related to a defamatory news article from 2007 that incorrectly suggested Gupta was terminated from his previous company because of financial misconduct.
The piece, written by Misra and released by Hindustan Times, insinuated—without explicitly naming Gupta—that he had been let go from a company due to financial irregularities. District Judge Prabh Deep Kaur found the report baseless, lacking documentary evidence, and damaging to Gupta’s reputation.
Gupta had worked as a Director at Integrix until 2005, resigning to start his own venture. In 2006, Integrix initiated two civil lawsuits against him concerning a defamatory email and an allegation of hacking. Nevertheless, these lawsuits did not charge him with any financial misconduct. Despite this, the article published in 2007 suggested financial impropriety, which led Gupta to file a defamation lawsuit against Hindustan Times, Misra, and others. Ultimately, he reached a settlement with all parties involved, except for the publication and the journalist.
The Court ruled that Hindustan Times would pay Rs. 30 lakh and Misra Rs. 10 lakh. Additionally, the publication must issue a public apology within 60 days and refrain from further defamatory content about Gupta. It was determined that, although Gupta was unnamed, he was easily identifiable in the article, leading to reputational harm. The Court rejected the defense that the report was a fair comment or made without malice.
Importantly, the judge highlighted the greater responsibility of media institutions in fact-checking and editorial oversight. The article was labeled as character assassination, and the Court stressed that Gupta’s sacking for financial irregularities had no basis in the judicial record. Gupta had initially sought Rs. 1 crore but was awarded Rs. 40 lakh after a detailed legal and factual review.
Case Name: Arun Kumar Gupta v. HT Media Limited & Ors
Case Number: CS DJ NO. 6574/16 [CNR NO. DLSE01-000093-2016]
Bench: District Judge Prabh Deep Kaur
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