A Delhi court on 26 May 2026 recorded a statement on behalf of Manoj Kesarichand Sandesara that no further takedown action would be pursued against content published by Moneylife until the next date of hearing in an appeal filed by Moneywise Media LLP. The undertaking was given in an appeal filed by Moneywise Media LLP, which publishes Moneylife, challenging a wide-ranging interim order requiring the de-indexing of online reports and videos relating to the Sterling Biotech matter.
The Impugned Order
The appeal arises from a final interim order dated 16 May 2026 in Manoj Kesarichand Sandesara v. Google LLC & Ors., passed by a Delhi trial court. The order directed Google, Meta and unnamed "John Doe/Ashok Kumar" defendants (which is directed against Moneywise Media LLP) to de-index, de-list and de-reference specified URLs, as well as "such other links not known to the Plaintiff" relating to Mr Sandesara, his family and the Sterling Biotech matter.
The directions affected a substantial body of reporting and video content published by Moneylife over several years, covering enforcement proceedings, banking litigation, insolvency proceedings, settlement proposals, court hearings and regulatory developments. The affected material was based on proceedings before the enforcement directorate (ED), the national company law tribunal (NCLT), appellate forums and the Supreme Court (SC).
Background
The reporting relates to the long-running Sterling Biotech matter, which has involved investigations, enforcement proceedings, insolvency litigation and banking recovery proceedings concerning Sterling Biotech and associated entities. The matter has been before multiple forums and agencies including the ED the NCLT the debt recovery tribunal (DRT), appellate tribunals and the Supreme Court and has been extensively reported by the Indian media.
On 4 April 2026 an ex-parte injunction was issued that affected reports and videos published by multiple media organisations over several years, including content published by Moneylife. Moneywise Media LLP, which publishes Moneylife’s online magazine and operates its digital platform, challenged the order before the appellate court which was dismissed on 30 April as not maintainable at that stage. The appellate court observed that objections could be raised before the trial court hearing the injunction application, while clarifying that the dismissal was not on merits and that Moneylife retained the right to pursue further remedies. The trial court, after hearing arguments, confirmed the ex-parte injunction through an order dated 16 May 2026.
Moneylife subsequently filed a fresh appeal which came up for hearing before Ld. District Judge Sunil Choudhary who issued notice in this appeal on 22 May 2026 and listed it for hearing on 26 May. At Tuesday's hearing, counsel for Mr Sandesara sought time and recorded the statement that no further takedowns of existing publications would be pursued until the next date which is for July 14, 2026. The fresh appeal contends that the directions were overly broad, raised concerns regarding prior restraint on journalistic reporting, and had been passed beyond the Hon’ble Supreme Court Order regarding settlement proceedings.
The case raises broader questions concerning ex-parte online takedown orders, intermediary obligations, de-indexing of journalistic archives and the impact of such directions on reporting relating to matters already in the public domain. The takedown directions affected a substantial body of reportage and video content published by Moneylife over several years in relation to the Sterling Biotech matter, including reports on enforcement proceedings, banking litigation, insolvency proceedings, settlement proposals, court hearings and regulatory developments.
The content removed or de-indexed included articles carrying reports based on proceedings before ED, NCLT, appellate forums, the Supreme Court and other public authorities, along with video content and analysis published on Moneylife’s YouTube channel.
Moneylife’s subscribers may suffer access disruption to the following reports from the 26 total pieces of content (articles and videos) that have been taken down pursuant to demands for compliance by the Plaintiff (not an exhaustive list):
- Sterling Biotech: Court Declares Sandesara Brothers Fugitive Economic Offenders
- ED Chargesheets Sterling Biotech's Sandesara Brothers in Rs 8,100-crore Loan Fraud
- How the Sterling Biotech Deal Could Derail Bankruptcy Law
- Sterling Biotech Out of Liquidation; NCLAT Order Has Serious Implications on Repayment by Wilful Defaulters
- Fighting Fraud Charges in India, Sandesara Brothers Flourish in Nigeria: Bloomberg Report
- Sterling Biotech Case: SC Questions SEBI over Continued Probe into Sandesara Brothers despite ₹5,100 Crore Settlement
- Six videos published on Moneylife’s YouTube channel.
For Moneywise Media LLP the case is being argued by Apar Gupta who appears as the counsel and is being supported by Advocates Indumugi C, Naman Kumar and Avanti Deshpande from Apar Gupta Law Offices.
Relevant Orders and Proceedings
4 April 2026 — Delhi trial court passes ex-parte interim injunction directing de-indexing and removal of specified and unidentified links relating to the Sterling Biotech matter (
Link to Order).
30 April 2026 — Appellate court dismisses Moneylife’s earlier appeal against the ex-parte interim injunctions as not maintainable at that stage, while clarifying that the dismissal was not on merits and that further remedies remained available (
Link to Order).
16 May 2026 — Delhi trial court passes the final interim order confirming the ex-parte ad-interim injunctions against the defendants. (
Link to Order).
22 May 2026 — Delhi appellate court issues notice in fresh appeal filed by Moneywise Media LLP challenging the final interim order of 16 May 2026 and lists matter for further hearing. (
Link to Order).
26 May 2026 — Counsel appearing for Manoj Kesarichand Sandesara states before the court that no further takedown action would be pursued until the next date of hearing. (
Link to Order)
Editors Guild Questions Govt’s Media Curbs, Flags Poor Press Freedom Ranking
Moneylife Digital Team
25 May 2026
The Editors Guild of India (EGI) has expressed concern over what it described as the government’s growing intolerance towards media questioning, citing recent confrontations involving Indian officials and journalists in Norway and the...
Delhi HC Slams WFI for Show-cause Notice to Vinesh Phogat Terming Her Olympics Disqualification a National Shame
Prashant Jha (Bar
and
Bench)
22 May 2026
The Delhi High Court on Friday chastised the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for issuing a show-cause notice to wrestler Vinesh Phogat saying that she had caused national embarrassment by being disqualified from the Paris Olympics...
NCERT Textbook Controversy: Supreme Court Recalls Direction Blacklisting Three Experts
Debayan Roy (Bar
and
Bench)
22 May 2026
The Supreme Court on Friday recalled its observations against three academicians, Professor Michel Danino, Suparna Diwakar and Alok Prasanna Kumar, who were recently censured by the Court for the contents of NCERT (National Council of...
At Indira Jaising's Book Launch, Justice BV Nagarathna Calls for Sisterhood in Legal Profession
Ritwik Choudhury (Bar
and
Bench)
22 May 2026
For centuries, the legal profession remained the exclusive domain of male lawyers who benefitted from social networks and professional solidarity, Supreme Court Justice BV Nagarathna said on Thursday.
Women too need to build such...
