Telangana Court Directs ‘The Wire’ To Remove 14 Articles Against Pharmaceutical Giant Bharat Biotech
(Judicial Quest News Service)
A District court of Telangana has directed news portal ‘The Wire’ to remove 14 Articles it had published on its website on biotechnology company Bharat Bio-tech, which manufactures Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin.
The Court also restrained ‘The Wire from further publishing any defamatory articles on Bharat Biotech and its product Covaxin.
The order was passed by an Additional District Judge at Ranga Reddy District Court in a 100crores defamation case filed by Bharat Biotech against the publication.
The company argued in the court that ‘The Wire’ had published articles that contains false allegation against Bharat Bio-tech and Covaxine.
Senior Advocate Vivek Reddy while arguing for the Bharat Bio tech has submitted that ‘the Wire’ published the reports with malicious intentto undermine the reputation of Bharat Bio-tech.
After hearing the arguments, the court directed the authorities of ‘The Wire’ to remove all the 14 articles within 48 hours.
Reacting to the order, The Wire’s founding editor Sidharth Varadarajan tweeted : “So 14 deeply reported Covaxine stories—published by the Wire over a year ordered to be taken down by a local court with no notice served on The Wire, no chance given for us to refute whatever false claims Bharat Biotech has made against us! Let me say this—BB’s bullying will not work.
The Wire published several articles making false statements without proper fact check about the regulatory approvals granted to Bharath Biotech. Even after the Government of India had approved the vaccine, articles continued to be published otherwise on the wire.
The court has mentioned that the Bharat Bio tech is the sole vaccine candidate to be authorized to manufacture between 15to 18 years and the impugned defamotry and false articles published the wire will increase vaccine hesitancy.
The matter is posted on 16-03-2022.
