Curtailment of my free speech: Abhijit Iyer Mitra to Delhi HC on Newslaundry journos' plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought Abhijit Iyer-Mitra's response to a fresh application by Newslaundry journalists led by its Managing Editor Manisha Pande, to restrain him from continuing to post defamatory content against them during the pendency of a ₹2 crore defamation suit filed by them against him [Manisha Pande & Ors Vs Abhijit Iyer Mitra]..Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav listed the case for further hearing on August 28. During the brief hearing that took place today, Iyer-Mitra's lawyer contended,"This is a curtailment of my freedom of expression. Anything I post, they are coming to the court." .Iyer-Mitra had earlier agreed to take down certain posts objected to in the defamation suit. This undertaking was recorded the Court's interim order as well. At the time, the Court had also permitted Pande and other journalists (plaintiffs) to move an application for further takedown of content, should any fresh defamatory message be posted by Iyer-Mitra during the pendency of the defamation case..The defamation suit was filed by journalist Manisha Pande and others, including the media organisation Newslaundry (plaintiffs), against commentator Abhijit Iyer-Mitra and X Corp. (Twitter). The plaintiffs have sought a permanent injunction, a written apology, and damages of ₹2 crore, contending that Iyer-Mitra referred to women journalists as “prostitutes” and described Newslaundry as a “basti/brothel.” They argue that the remarks amount to a sustained campaign of vilification, causing them enormous mental trauma, harassment and embarrassment..On May 21, 2025, the Court recorded Iyer-Mitra’s undertaking to delete certain posts within five hours. Summons were later issued on May 26, 2025, with liberty granted to the plaintiffs to approach the Court again if Iyer-Mitra were to post any fresh defamatory statements. During those hearings, Senior Advocate Percival Billimoria, appearing for Iyer-Mitra, told the Court that the posts had been deleted. However, counsel for the plaintiffs, Advocate Bani Dikshit pointed out, “There is absolutely no remorse. He is commenting on the post and writing poetically.”.Senior Advocate Billimoria, meanwhile, had pressed for the dismissal of the suit with costs. He even sought an investigation into Newslaundry, but the Court declined to pass any such order, clarifying, “We are only confined to the posts. If you have any other grievance please take it up elsewhere.” The Bench had ultimately issued summons and kept its interim order in place, cautioning that the plaintiffs could file a fresh suit if any further defamatory material was posted. The judge observed that the language used by Iyer-Mitra was not permissible in a civilised society and warned that the Court was inclined to order police action, before the Iyer-Mitra agreed to withdraw his earlier tweets..The plaintiffs now allege that Iyer-Mitra has resumed making defamatory insinuations. In particular, they cite tweets dated July 3, 2025 and August 4, 2025, which revived references to the earlier “poetry” posts that had already been challenged in Court. According to the plaintiffs, these fresh remarks continued to erode their reputation and goodwill and encouraged users to post derogatory comments online.The fresh interim application now seeks orders directing takedown of the July and August posts, restraint against any further defamatory statements by Iyer-Mitra, and directions to X Corp. to remove similar content. The plaintiffs emphasise that their reputation, built over years, has been severely damaged, making urgent relief necessary to prevent further harassment..The latest application by Newslaundry's journalists was filed through Advocates Uddhav Khanna and Dhruva Vig..Iyer-Mitra was represented by Advocate Gaurav Sarkar. X Corp was represented by Advocates Deepak Gogia, Aadhar Nautiyal and Shivangi Kohli