The defamatory content against Malabar Gold and Diamonds, a Kerala-based Muslim-owned chain of jewellery shops, branding it a sympathiser of Pakistan and pumped through social media platforms mainly handled by people linked with the right wing, including ABC Malayalam News, met with Bombay High Court’s axing, which ordered the removal of all such material and termed them a campaign by its competitors during the festival season.
The single-judge bench of Justice Sandeep Marne passed the order on Monday, directing several social media platforms such as Meta Platforms, X (formerly Twitter), Google and various news agencies to take down materials portraying the brand as aligned with Pakistan, while also restraining them from permitting any further defamatory publications.
The court observed that “the problem that the Plaintiff now faces is that several posts, materials, and stories are being shared on social media connecting the Plaintiff to a neighbouring country. This is being done strategically, allegedly by competitors, to harm the Plaintiff’s business during festive times.”
The plea by Malabar Gold and Diamonds explained that the company had engaged JAB Studios in London to coordinate with local influencers to promote its upcoming Birmingham showroom, and the studio had arranged the services of Alishba Khalid, a Pakistani influencer based in London.
The influencer, however, was later noted to have criticised India and its military action “Operation Sindoor” against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, though the brand maintained that her association with it predated these remarks, and that it had not been informed of her nationality at the time.
The company argued that despite discontinuing her services, competitors amplified defamatory campaigns that linked it to Pakistan, and hashtags like #BoycottMalabarGold and #BoycottMalabar gained traction on X, urging Hindus in the Telugu states, Kerala and Gulf countries to boycott the chain during Dussehra and Diwali purchases.
Hindutva handles, including Tathvam-asi, Karnnan2255 and TheEagle3_0, shared screenshots and videos that accused the company’s chairman, M.P. Ahammed, a Kerala Muslim businessman, of funding “anti-India” elements, framing his ties with Indian Union Muslim League leaders as evidence of alleged Islamist funding.
The order directed that Defendant Nos. 1 to 7, including Meta, X, YouTube, and news outlets such as The Pamphlet, Only Fact, Latest Newspaper Agency, ABC Malayalam News, JAB Studios, and one Ashok Kumar, must remove all posts and stories concerning the arrangement with Khalid. Furthermore, the platform “Only Fact” was specifically prohibited from publishing any printed material about the influencer engagement.
The brand has previously been subjected to similar boycott drives, with Hindutva organisations opposing its advertisements and CSR activities. The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti had objected to an Akshaya Tritiya advertisement featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan without a bindi, and earlier in 2024, activist Kajal Hindustani had alleged that the firm’s girl-child scholarships were “love jihad” traps to lure Hindu families, a claim that was amplified by right-wing influencers Shefali Vaidya and Murali Iyengar. The Bombay High Court had then also ruled the allegations “prima facie defamatory” and ordered their removal, according to Maktoob Media.
Justice Marne, concurring with the submissions of the jewellery brand, granted an ad-interim injunction, reiterating that mere utilisation of an influencer’s services could not justify the propagation of damaging narratives, while also underlining that the content appeared orchestrated to strategically harm the brand’s reputation during a commercially vital festive season.