Insaaf Times Desk
On Monday, the Bombay High Court granted significant relief to Malabar Gold and Diamonds Ltd, directing social media platforms to take down posts portraying the company as a “Pakistan sympathizer.” The court also clarified that such posts will not be permitted in the future.
The company had planned to open a new showroom in Birmingham, UK. For promotion, it engaged London-based Pakistani influencer Alishba Khalid through JAB Studios. However, Khalid later criticized India’s “Operation Sindoor.” Malabar Gold stated that the engagement occurred before these remarks and that the company was unaware of her Pakistani background at the time.
A single-judge bench of Justice Sandeep Marne issued an interim order in favor of the company. Platforms including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), X (formerly Twitter), Google (YouTube), and several news agencies were directed to remove all posts, stories, and content related to the matter. The court further stated that no defamatory content regarding the company should be allowed on these platforms in the future.
Senior advocate Naushad Engineer, representing Malabar Gold, argued that “merely engaging an influencer does not make the company responsible, especially when the controversial statements were made later.” He also mentioned that the company had immediately terminated Khalid’s services.
Hashtags such as #BoycottMalabarGold and #BoycottMalabar were trending on social media. Certain Hindutva-affiliated handles accused the company’s owner, M.P. Ahammed, of links with “jihadi networks” and associated the company’s scholarship programs with “love jihad.”
This is not the first controversy surrounding Malabar Gold. In 2024, the company faced allegations that its “Girl-Child” scholarship programs were being used to convert Hindu girls. The Bombay High Court had earlier deemed such claims “prima facie defamatory” and ordered the removal of related posts.
The next hearing is scheduled for November 11, when the court will decide on issuing a permanent injunction.
This case highlights the importance of protecting brand reputation on social media and sheds light on new dimensions of business disputes in the digital era.
