New Delhi [India], August 10 (ANI): The Delhi High Court has issued notice in a defamation suit filed by CIAN Agro Industries and Infrastructure Ltd and its Managing Director Nikhil Nitin Gadkari, son of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, over a Caravan report which allegedly linked the company and the Gadkari family’s business network with a beef-exporting firm.
The suit has been filed against Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Pvt Ltd, The Caravan and other parties. CIAN Agro and Nikhil Gadkari have alleged that the report created a false impression that they were involved in the beef trade.
The dispute relates to a March 1, 2026 report titled “Nagpur’s Beef – The Beef Company Enmeshed in Gadkari’s Business Empire.” According to the plaintiffs, the report linked CIAN Agro with Rembal Agro and Foods, now known as Venad Food Industries, and suggested that the two entities were closely connected.
CIAN Agro has denied any involvement in the trade, processing or export of beef or cow meat. In its plaint, the company has said it is engaged in the manufacture and trading of agro-based products, including frozen vegetables, spices, sugar, edible oils and other products, and has described its business as vegetarian.
Nikhil Gadkari, who is the second plaintiff and Managing Director of CIAN Agro, has also claimed that the publication damaged his personal and family reputation. He has alleged that the report and its subsequent circulation on social media gave readers an impression that he was connected with the beef business.
The plaintiffs have specifically disputed the alleged connection between CIAN Agro and Rembal Agro. They have claimed that Rembal is a separate legal entity and that its business activities cannot be attributed to CIAN Agro or its managing director.
The suit also refers to social media posts and videos which, according to the plaintiffs, repeated or amplified the allegations made in the Caravan report. The plaintiffs have claimed that the publication continued to be circulated even after a legal notice was sent to the defendants.
Before approaching the High Court, CIAN Agro had issued a legal notice on March 4, 2026, asking the defendants to remove the disputed material and take other corrective steps. The defendants, however, rejected the allegations and defended the publication.
In their reply, the defendants said the report was based on documentary material and publicly available records. They maintained that the article examined the business relationship between Rembal Agro and CIAN Agro and was published as part of a journalistic examination of a matter of public interest.
The defendants also relied on the exceptions to defamation under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and argued that the report was protected as a publication
concerning a public question and was based on material they considered reliable. They denied any wrongdoing and refused to issue an apology or clarification.
CIAN Agro and Nikhil Gadkari have sought permanent and mandatory injunctions against the defendants, including removal of the disputed content from online platforms and a restraint on its further publication and circulation. They have also sought damages for the alleged loss of reputation.
The plaintiffs have claimed that the continued online circulation of the report and related posts has caused continuing harm to their reputation and goodwill. They have also placed before the court material relating to social media posts, videos and reposts which they say further spread the allegations.
The High Court matter is registered before Justice Subramonium Prasad. The court’s July 15 order records that advocates were abstaining from work that day and the matter was listed for August 3. (ANI)
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