Journalist Sucheta Dalal’s news portal Moneylife has moved a Delhi court to challenge a trial court order that directed the takedown and de-indexing of its investigative reports and videos concerning Manoj Kesarichand Sandesara, his family, and the Sterling Biotech bank fraud case.
District Judge Sunil Choudhary of the Tis Hazari Courts heard the matter on Tuesday and recorded an undertaking on behalf of Sandesara stating that he would not seek any further content takedowns for the time being. The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 14.
Takedown Order Alleged to Infringe Fundamental Constitutional Rights
The appeal was filed against a May 16 order passed by a senior civil judge in a suit initiated by Sandesara against Google LLC and other parties. That order restrained Moneylife from publishing, republishing, or circulating any further content relating to Sandesara and his family name in connection with Sterling Biotech Limited and the associated bank fraud. It also mandated the de-indexing, de-listing, and de-referencing of specified URLs, alongside any other related links unknown to the plaintiff.
In its appeal, Moneylife argued that the civil judge’s order is sweeping, directly impacts journalistic reporting, and infringes upon its fundamental rights under Article 14 (right to equality), Article 19 (freedom of speech), and Article 21 (right to liberty) of the Constitution. The plea states that the restriction effectively chokes reporting, publication, or criticism regarding Sandesara, his family, and the ongoing legal proceedings.
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Portal Argues Failure to Apply Supreme Court Precedent
The content affected by the injunction includes various reports and videos published by Moneylife between 2019 and 2026. These publications covered Enforcement Directorate (ED) actions, fugitive economic offender proceedings, debt settlement proposals, and related judicial developments in the Sterling Biotech matter. Moneylife contends in its appeal that the trial court failed to apply the established legal test laid down by the Supreme Court in Bloomberg Television Production Services India v Zee Entertainment Enterprises regarding pre-trial injunctions in defamation cases.
Background of the Multi-Crore Bank Fraud Case
The underlying dispute stems from allegations of large-scale bank fraud involving Sterling Biotech Limited and entities linked to the Sandesara family. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initially registered a case in 2017, alleging a fraud of approximately Rs 5,383 crore against a consortium of banks led by Andhra Bank. The Enforcement Directorate subsequently attached domestic and overseas assets belonging to the Sandesara group, with reports pegging the value of the attached property at around Rs 9,700 crore. The ED alleged that loan funds were systematically diverted, layered, and laundered through multiple domestic and offshore entities.
In a notable development in November 2025, the Supreme Court agreed to drop criminal proceedings against Nitin and Chetan Sandesara on the condition that they deposit Rs 5,100 crore as part of a settlement. The apex court accepted the settlement proposal, which had been submitted by the Government in a sealed cover.
