The Delhi High Court reprimanded BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover for recent Twitter posts criticizing the fintech company.
Justice Prathiba Singh termed the remarks as “completely avoidable” and “derogatory”.
Grover referred to SBI chairmen as “petty people” in a tweet that was seen as targeting current BharatPe board chair Rajnish Kumar.
The judge said such comments violated prior court orders barring defamation against the firm.
She also called to remove reports about Grover’s letter to RBI alleging irregularities. The letter had levelled allegations against BharatPe.
Grover’s lawyer was warned not to make further objectionable statements.
“As a businessman and founder, one ought not to destroy the reputation or business through public spats,” the Court observed.
It highlighted that unnecessary remarks impacted employees and investors. “If the business is harmed, who will invest further?”
Earlier, BharatPe had sued Grover and relatives for ₹88 crore, alleging fund misuse. Grover resigned as MD in March 2022, and his wife was removed as head of a unit.
In November, the Court imposed Rs. 2 lakh costs on Grover for violating orders by targeting the company on social media. It remains to be seen if he will now pull down the disputed tweets and reports as directed.
The legal battle between the founding partners continues, even as BharatPe scales new heights in India’s booming fintech ecosystem.
