Delhi High Court
Dabur India Limited vs Ashok Kumar And Ors on 27 March, 2023
Author: Prathiba M. Singh
Bench: Prathiba M. Singh
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
$~30(OS), 1(OS) to 29(OS)
* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
Date of Decision: 27th March, 2023
+ CS (COMM) 135/2022 & I.As. 3423/2022, 9363/2022, 12156/2022,
16505/2022, 1221/2023, 1222/2023
DABUR INDIA LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Anirudh Bakhru, and Mr. Kripa
Pandi, Advocates. (M:9810013453)
versus
ASHOK KUMAR AND ORS ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Yashvardhan Singh, Advocate for
D-1. (M:9667056770)
Mr. Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar,
CGSC with Mr. Srish Kumar Mishra,
Mr. Sagar Mehlawat Alexander Mathai
Paikaday, Advocates (M: 9810788606).
Ms. Kruttika Vijay, Ms. Geetanjali
Viswanathan, & Ms. Aishwarya Kane,
Advs. for D-5 (M-9910083144)
Mr. Dayan Krishnan Senior Advocate
with Mr. Alipak Banerjee, Mr. Parva
Khare, Mr. Brijesh Ujjainwal
Advocates for D-4. (M: 9987115749)
Mr. K.G. Gopalakrishnan and Ms.
Nisha Mohandas, Advocates for D-7.
(M:8800556341)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
ACP Raman Lamba with Insp. Suneel
Siddhu, IFSO, Special Cell.
(1) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 20/2019 & I.As.561/2019, 20157/2022
TATA SKY LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 1 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Through: Mr. Vinayak, Advocate.
(M:9013008939)
versus
S G ENTERPREISES - TATA SKY SALES AND SERVICES AND
ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Moazzam Khan, Ms. Shweta Sahu,
Mr. Alipak Banerjee and Ms. Parva
Khare, Advs. for D-5. (M:9987115749)
Ms. Akshita Jain, Advocate for D-8.
(M:9990526912)
(2) WITH
+ CS(COMM) 193/2019 & I.As. 5399/2019, 11497/2019, 18216/2019,
15451/2021, 6069/2022
COLGATE PALMOLIVE COMPANY & ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Saif Khan &
Mr. Rohil Bansal, Advs.(M-
9079965359)
versus
NIXI & ANR. ..... Defendants
Through: Ms. Akshita Jain, Advocate for D-1
(M-9990526912).
Mr. Darpan Wadhwa, Sr. Advocate
with Ms. Swati Agarwal, Ms. Binsy
Susan, Mr. Shashank Mishra, Ms.
Akshi Rastogi, Ms. Vaani Kaushik &
Mr. Vaarish Sawlani, Advs for D-3-4.
Mr. Anurag Ahluwalia, CGSC with Mr.
Danish Faraz Khan, Mr. Abhigyan
Siddhant and Mr. Rahul Sharma,
Advocates for UOI (M-9999999045)
with Mr. Tanmay Nirmal, Manager
legal.
Mr. Tentu Satyanarayan, Director
(Legal), UIDAI & Mr. Tanmaya
Nirmal, Deputy Manager (Legal &
Policy), UIDAI (M-9899113033).
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 2 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Mr. Kushagra Goel & Mr. Abhimanyu
Yadav, Advocates for D-7 (M-
9711443294).
SI Prince Kumar, PS Hauz Khas.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum, Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(3) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 297/2019
MOTHER DAIRY FRUIT & VEGETABLE PVT. LTD...... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Saif Khan, Mr.
Shobhit Agarwal and Mr. Deepank,
Advocates.
versus
KUMAR PRAHLAD & ANR. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Yash Vardhan Singh, Advocate for
D-1.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(4) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 298/2019 & I.As.8189/2019, 13215/2019, 13631/2019,
15695-96/2019, 14210/2021, 16707/2021
ULTRATECH CEMENT LIMITED & ANR. ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr Kushal Gupta, Advocate.
versus
WWW.ULTRATECHCEMENTS.COM & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Darpan Wadhwa, Sr. Advocate
with Ms. Binsy Susan & Ms. Swati
Agarwal, Advocates for GoDaddy.
(M:9650001297)
Mr. Ananta Prasad Mishra & Mr.
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 3 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Gagan Gupta, Advocates for D-9.
(M:9990937838)
Mr. Manish Mohan, CGSC for UOI.
(M-999910115)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum, Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(5) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 317/2019 & I.As. 8404-05/2019, 3270/2020
DHARAMPAL SATYAPAL LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Rajesh Yadav, Sr. Advocate with
Ms. Ruchira V. Arora and Mr.
Dhananjay Mehlawat, Advocates.
(M:9911006159)
versus
RAJNIGANDHA DISTRIBUTORS PRIVATE LIMITED
& ORS ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Mahesh, Mr. Gulshan Kumar, Ms.
Shubhangi Sood & Ms. Aashi,
Advocates for D-2,3.
Mr V. P Singh & Mr. Vansh Malhotra,
Advocates for D-10.
Mr. Siddharth Sangal & Ms. Nilanjani
Tandon, Advocates for D-11/SBI.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
Mr. Santosh Kumar Tripathi, Standing
Counsel with Mr. Arun Panwar, Mr.
Tapesh Raghav, Mr. Prudyumn Rao
and Mr. Mahak Rankawat, Advcoates.
(6) WITH
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 4 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
+ CS (COMM) 732/2019 & I.As. 3865/2020, 9234/2020, 4171/2021,
4172/2021
MONTBLANC SIMPLO GMBH ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand & Mr. Devesh
Ratan, Advs. (M:9810333571)
versus
MONTBLANCINDIA.COM & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Yajur Bhalla, Mr. Deepak Samota
and Mr. Sumer Ahuja, Advocates for
D-1, 2, 4 to 10 & 20. (M:9711009378)
Ms. Asiya Khan, Advocate for D-25
(M: 9971644936).
Mr. Alipak Banjerjee, Ms. Pava Khare
& Ms. Shweta Sahu Advs for D-18.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(7) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 82/2020 & I.A. 2402/2020
JOCKEY INTERNATIONAL INC. ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Saif Khan, Mr.
Shobhit Agarwal and Mr. Deepank,
Advs. (M:8800520258)
versus
WWW.JOCKEYFRANCHISE.COM & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Vivek Jain and Ms. Aastha Tiwari,
Advs. for D-4. (M:9871863446)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(8) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 251/2020 & I.As. 5544/2020, 7655/2022
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 5 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
MICROSOFT CORPORATION & ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Saif Khan, Mr.
Shantanu Sahay, Ms. Imon Roy and
Mr. Apoorv Bansal, Advocates.
versus
MS CZONE SOLUTIONS & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Sumit Nagpal, Ms. Nancy, Ms.
Dolly Luthra and Ms. Aastha Sood,
Advs for D-1 & 2. (M:9911995000)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(9) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 255/2020 & I.As. 5590-91/2020, 11099/2020, 6402/2022
INDIAMART INTERMESH LIMITED .... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Sidharth Chopra, Mr. Nitin
Sharma, Mr. Yatin Garg, Mr. Ranjeet
Singh, Mr. Vivek Ayyagari, Mr. Angad
Makkar, Mr. M. J. Sudarshan, Ms.
Ramya Aggarwal and Mr. Sohrab
Mann, Advocates.
versus
MR. AKASH VERMA & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Neel Mason, Mr. Uday Singh
Chopra, Mr. Saransh Saini and Mr.
Ujjawal Bhargava for D-2. (M:
9399304251).
Ms. Meenakshi Dutta, Mr. Anupam
Kumar Mishra & Mr. Gautam
Harshwal, Advocates for D-4 & 7. (M:
9521151974)
Mr. Saransh, Advocate for Ms. Nandita
Rao, ASC (Crml.),GNCTD.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 6 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(10) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 324/2020 & I.As. 6950/2020, 12588/2020, 12611/2020,
11510/2021
MCDONALDS CORPORATION & ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Ms. Priya Adlakha, Mrs. Bindra Rana,
Ms. Tanvi Bhatnagar, Ms. Rima
Majumdar and Ms. Shilpi Sinha,
Advocates. (M:9818202368)
versus
NATIONAL INTERNET EXCHANGE OF INDIA
& ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Vivek Jain & Mr. Aastha Tiwari,
Advocates for D-18 & 28
(M9811426480).
Mr. Alipak K. Banerjee and Ms.
Shweta Sahu, Advocates for D-5, 2, 6
7, & 8 (M: 9987115749).
Mr. Ravi Prakash, CGSC with Mr.
Sahonwlah Farmani Ali, Advocate for
D-35&36 (M-9469448888)
Mr. Santosh Kumar Rout, Mr. Pawan
Kumar & Mr. Abhishek Chakraborty,
Advocates for D-13 to 17, 22, 26, 27,
31)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum, Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(11) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 373/2020 & I.A. 7995-96/2020, 7999/2020, 9171/2020,
84/2021, 430/2021 & 1371/2021
ITC LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 7 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Ms. Vaishali, Mr.
Shivang Sharma & Mr. Siddhant
Chamola, Advocates
versus
ASHOK KUMAR & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Ms. Ritu Mishra, Advocate for D-6.
Mr. Hrithik Goyal and Ms. Lovleen
Goyal, Advocates for D-12.
(M:8826767020)
Ms. Deepika Kathuria, Adv. for D-14.
Ms. Asmita Kumar, Advocate for D-31.
(M:9899967516)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(12) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 424/2020 & I.A. 20246-47/2022
SHOPPERS STOP LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Sagar Chandra, Ms. Shubhie Wahi,
Ms. Ankita Seth and Ms. Sanya
Kapoor, Advocates.
(M:9810907412)
versus
M/S SHOPPERSTOP & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. P.S. Sudheer and Ms. Anne
Mathew, Advs. for D-5.
(M:9891760039)
Mr. Moazzam Khan Advocate, Mr.
Alipak Banerjee Advocate Ms. Shweta
Sahu Advocate , Mr. Parva Khare
Advocate, Mr. Brijesh Ujjainwal
Advocate.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 8 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(13) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 498/2020 & I.A. 10520-21/2020, 2506/2021, 2530/2021
MICROSOFT CORPORATION & ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Saif Khan, Mr.
Shantanu Sahay, Ms. Imon Roy and
Mr. Apoorv Bansal, Advocates.
versus
PCPATCHERS TECHNOLOGY PRIVATE LIMITED
& ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Sumit Nagpal, Ms. Nancy and Ms.
Aashta Sood, Advocates for D-1, 2 & 3.
(M:9911995000)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(14) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 95/2021 & I.A. 4800/2021, I.A. 21025/2022
THE HIMALAYA DRUG COMPANY & ORS. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Ms. Prachi Agarwal and Ms. Ms.
Ridhie Bajaj, Advocates.
(M:8800972785)
versus
ASHOK KUMAR & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Alipak Banderjee, Ms. Shweta
Sahu, Mr. Parva Khare and Mr. Brijesh
Ujjaniwal, Advocates for Go Daddy
(M: 9987115749).
Mr. Tushar Singh & Ms. Trisha
Patnaik, Advocates for D-25.
Mr. Surinder Singh, Advocate for D-29
(M-9311325398)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 9 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(15) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 154/2021 & I.A. 4692/2021, 10905/2022
GODREJ PROPERTIES LTD ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Vibhav Mithal
and Mr. Achyut Tiwari, Advocates.
(M:8447458389)
versus
ASHOK KUMAR & ANR. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Darpan Wadhwa, Sr. Advocate
with, Mr. Alipak Banerjee, & Ms.
Shweta Sahu, Advocates for D-2.
(M:9987115749)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(16) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 176/2021 & I.As. 14924/2022, 14925/2022
SNAPDEAL PRIVATE LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Ms. Tanya Varma & Ms. Devyani
Nath, Advocates. (M:7042547106)
versus
GODADDYCOM LLC AND ORS ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar,
CGSC with Mr. Srish Kumar Mishra,
Mr. Sagar Mehlawat Alexander Mathai
Paikaday, Advocates (M: 9810788606).
Ms. Shweta Sahu and Mr. Alipak
Banerjee, Mr. Parava Khare and Mr.
Brijesh Ujjainwal, Advs, for D-
2,3,4,23,26,31. (M:9987115749)
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 10 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Mr. Darpan Wadhwa, Sr. Advocate
with Mr. Moazzam Khan, Mr. Alipak
Banerjee and Ms. Shweta Sahu,
Advocates for D-1 & 10.
Ms. Kruttika Vijay and Ms. Aishwarya
Kane, Advocates for D-9.
(M:9910083144)
Mr. Praveen Kumar Jain & Ms. Shalini
Jha, for D-34. (M:9871278525)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum, Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(17) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 276/2021 & I.A. 7329/2021, 2596/2023, 4956/2023
MICROSOFT CORPORATION & ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Saif Khan, Mr.
Shantanu Sahay, Ms. Imon Roy and
Mr. Apoorv Bansal, Advocates.
versus
TECH HERACLES OPC PRIVATE LIMITED
& ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
Mr Rajiv Kumar Malik , Mrs. Megha,
Mr Deepanshu Nainwal, Advocates for
D-1 to 3.
(18) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 293/2021 & I.As.7543-44/2021, 10308/2021,
15052/2021
TATA SONS PRIVATE LIMITED & ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Saif Khan Mr.
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 11 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Achuthan Sreekumar & Mr. Rohil
Bansal Advocates. (M:9079965359)
versus
M/S ELECTRO INTERNATIONAL & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. M.K. Singh, Advocate for Mr.
Samir Chugh, Advocates for Airtel (M-
9810455716)
Ms. Deepika Kathuria, Adv. for D-8.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(19) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 399/2021 & I.A. 10855/2021
HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Sidharth Chopra, Mr. Nitin
Sharma, Mr. Yatin Garg, Mr. Ranjeet
Singh, Mr. Vivek Ayyagari, Mr. Angad
Makkar, Mr. M. J. Sudarshan, Ms.
Ramya Aggarwal and Mr. Sohrab
Mann, Advocates.
versus
NITIN KUMAR SINGH & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Ankur Prakash, Ms. Simran Gill,
Mr. Yudhishthir Bhardwaj, Mr.
Dhananjay, Mr. Amod Bidhuri & Mr.
Saquib Siddiqui, Advocates for D-1
Mr. Akshit Chaudhary, Advocate for
D-5.
Mr. Bhagwan Swarup Shukla, CGSC
with Mr. Kamaldeep, Advocate for
UOI/D-18 & 19.
Mr. K.K. Singh, Advocate for D-27.
Mr. K.R. Sasiprabhu and Mr. Tushar
Bhardwaj, Advs for Reliance Jio.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 12 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(20) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 524/2021 & I.A. 13715/2021, 4506/2022
KAMDHENU LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Nikhil Sonker, Advocate.
(M:7726021194)
versus
RAGHUNATH VIRDHARAM BISHNOI AND ORS. .... Defendants
Through: Mr. Rishabh Gupta and Mr. Abhishek
Kumar Singh, Advocates.
Mr. Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar,
CGSC with Mr. Srish Kumar Mishra,
Mr. Sagar Mehlawat Alexander Mathai
Paikaday, Advocates (M: 9810788606).
Mr. Lakshy Aggarwal, Advocate for D-
3.
Mr. Neel Mason, Mr. Vihan Dang, and
Ms. Aditi Umapathy, Advocate
Mr. Rishi Kapoor and Mr. Satish Rai,
Advocates for D-3. (M:8368148214)
Ms. Shweta Sahu, Mr. Alipak
Banjerjee, Mr. Parva Khare and Mr.
Brijesh Ujjainwal, Advocates for D-8.
(M:9987115749)
Mr. K.G. Gopalakrishnan and Ms.
Nisha Mohandas, Advocates for D-9.
(M:8800556341)
Mr. Vihan Dang, Ms. Aditi Umapathy
and Mr. Parva Khare, Advocates for D-
10 (M-99101983636)
Mr. Alipak Banjerjee, Ms. Pava Khare
& Ms. Shweta Sahu Advs for D-8.
Mr. K.R. Sasiprabhu and Mr. Tushar
Bhardwaj, Advs. for Reliance Jio.
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 13 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
Signature Not Verified
Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(21) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 26/2022 & I.As. 612-13/2022, 954/2022
HT MEDIA LTD ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Sidharth Chopra, Mr. Nitin
Sharma, Mr. Yatin Garg, Mr. Ranjeet
Singh, Mr. Vivek Ayyagari, Mr. Angad
Makkar, Mr. M. J. Sudarshan, Ms.
Ramya Aggarwal and Mr. Sohrab
Mann, Advocates. (M:8017571175)
versus
POOJA SHARMA & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Pramod K. Sah, Advocate for D-4.
Ms. Deepika Kathuria, Adv. for D-10.
Mr. Alipak Banerjee, Ms. Shweta Sahu,
Mr. Brijesh Ujjainwal, and Advs. for
D-19. (M:9987115749)
Mr. Vihan Dang, Ms. Aditi Umapathy
and Mr. Parva Khare, Advocates for D-
20. (M:9911983636).
Mr. M.K. Singh, Advocate for Mr.
Samir Chugh, Advocate for Airtel.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(22) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 35/2022 & I.As. 819/2022, 3168/2022, 4738/2022,
8767/2022
KAJARIA CERAMICS LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. J. Sai Deepak, Ms. Priya Adlakha,
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 14 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
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Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Mrs. Bindra Rana, Ms. Tanvi
Bhatnagar, Ms. Rima Majumdar and
Ms. Shilpi Sinha, Advocates.
(M:9818202368)
versus
GODADDY.COM LLC & ORS. ..... Defendant
Through: Mr. Moazzam Khan, Ms. Shweta Sahu,
Mr. Alipak Banerjee and Ms. Parva
Khare, Advs. for D-1. (M:9987115749)
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
Mr. Ashwani Kumar, Adv. for D-2.
Mr. Lakshy Aggarwal, Adv. for d-4
Ms. Kirti Bhardwaj, Adv. for D-5(b).
Mr. M.K. Singh, Advocate for Mr.
Samir, Advocate (M-9810455716)
Mr. Santosh Kr. Rout, Mr. Pawan
Kumar & Mr. Abhishek Chakraborty,
Advocates for D-6.
(23) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 158/2022 & I.As. 3996-97/2022, 3096/2023
MICROSOFT CORPORATION & ANR. ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Pravin Anand, Mr. Saif Khan, Mr.
Shantanu Sahay, Ms. Imon Roy and
Mr. Apoorv Bansal, Advocates.
versus
VACATION RENTAL SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED
& ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Mayank Mehandra, Mr. Charu
Tandon & Mr. Sarthak Kapoor & Mr.
Raghav Tandon, Advocate for D-1 & 2.
Mr. Ramnish Khanna, Adv. for D-7.
SI Manzoor Alam, Cyber Police
Station, South-East.
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 15 of 29
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Signing Date:30.03.2023
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Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum, Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(24) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 233/2022 & I.As. 5780-81/2022
BAJAJ FINACE LTD & ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Sidharth Chopra, Mr. Nitin
Sharma, Mr. Yatin Garg, Mr. Ranjeet
Singh, Mr. Vivek Ayyagari, Mr. Angad
Makkar, Mr. M. J. Sudarshan, Ms.
Ramya Aggarwal and Mr. Sohrab
Mann, Advocates.
versus
NIKO DAS & ANR. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Vihan Dang, Ms. Aditi Umapathy
and Mr. Parva Khare, Advocates for D-
3.
Mr. Lakshy Aggarwal, Advocate for D-
7.
Mr. Neel Mason, Mr. V. Dang & Ms.
Aditi, Advocates for D-3.
(M:9971586598)
Mr. M.K. Singh, Advocate for Mr.
Samir Chugh, Advocate for Airtel.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(25) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 275/2022 & I.As. 6535-36/2022
HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LTD & ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Sidharth Chopra, Mr. Nitin
Sharma, Mr. Yatin Garg, Mr. Ranjeet
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 16 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
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Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Singh, Mr. Vivek Ayyagari, Mr. Angad
Makkar, Mr. M. J. Sudarshan, Ms.
Ramya Aggarwal and Mr. Sohrab
Mann, Advocates.
versus
UNILEVERR1.IN & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Ms. Deepika Kathuria, Adv. for D-9.
Mr. S. Surender, Advocate for D-21.
Ms. Asiya Khan, Advocate for D-25
Mr. M.K. Singh, Advocate for Mr.
Samir Chugh, Advocate for Airtel.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(26) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 364/2022 & I.As. 8518-20/2022, 12855/2022
AMAZON SELLER SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED
& ANR. ..... Plaintiffs
Through: Mr. Sidharth Chopra, Mr. Nitin
Sharma, Mr. Yatin Garg, Mr. Ranjeet
Singh, Mr. Vivek Ayyagari, Mr. Angad
Makkar, Mr. M. J. Sudarshan, Ms.
Ramya Aggarwal and Mr. Sohrab
Mann, Advocates.
versus
AMAZONBUYS.IN & ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. G. Mirza, Mr. Vishesh Sharma,
Advocates for D-4. (M:7434045442)
Mr. Sohit Choudhary, Advocate for D-
5.
Ms Yukti Gupta, Advocate for HDFC
Bank
Ms. Mrinal Ojha, Mr. Debarshi Dutta &
Mr. Aayush Kevlani, Advocates for D-
8 (M-9167094381)
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 17 of 29
2023:DHC:2305
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Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Ms. Deepika Kathuria, Adv. for D-10.
Mr. Vineet Dhanda, CGSC with Mr.
Abhishek Singh, Advocate for UOI/D-
18 & 19.
Mr. M.K. Singh, Advocate for Mr.
Samir Chugh, Advocate for Airtel.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(27) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 475/2022 & I.As. 10851-52/2022, 12173-74/2022
FASHNEAR TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Sidharth Chopra, Mr. Nitin
Sharma, Mr. Yatin Garg, Mr. Ranjeet
Singh, Mr. Vivek Ayyagari, Mr. Angad
Makkar, Mr. M. J. Sudarshan, Ms.
Ramya Aggarwal and Mr. Sohrab
Mann, Advocates.
versus
MEESHO ONLINE SHOPPING PVT. LTD. & ANR. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Neel Mason, Mr. Vihan Dang, and
Ms. Aditi Umapathy, Advocate for D-6.
Mr. Vihan Dang, Ms. Aditi Umapathy
and Mr. Parva Khare, Advs. for D-10.
Mr. Darpan Wadhwa, Sr. Advocate
with Mr. Alipak Banerjee, Mr. Brijesh
Ujjainwal & Ms. Shweta Sahu,
Advocate for D-7.
Mr. Anurag Ahluwalia, CGSC with Mr.
Abhigyan Siddhant and Mr. Danish
Faraz Khan, Advocates for D-19 & 20.
(M:9999999045)
Mr. K.R. Sasiprabhu and Mr. Tushar
Bhardwaj, Advs for Reliance Jio.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 18 of 29
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Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(28) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 350/2020 & I.A. 7456/2020, 9624/2020, 9629/2020,
996/2021, 9204/2022, 16148/2022
GUJARAT COOPERATIVE MILK MARKETING FEDERATION
LTD & ANR. ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Abhishek Singh and Mr. J. Amal
Anand, Mr. Elvin Joshy, Ms. Alisha
Sharma & Ms. Insha Mushtaq,
Advocates. (M:9910291290)
versus
AMUL-FRANCHISE.IN & ORS. ..... Defendant
Through: Mr. Anil Soni, CGSC with Mr. Rahul
Mourya, Adv. for UOI.
(M:9560238258)
Mr. Anurag Ahluwalia,, CGSC with
Mr. Abhigyan Siddhant, G.P. and Mr.
Danish Faraz Khan, Advocate for UOI.
(M:9811418995)
Mr. Neel Mason, Mr. Vihan Dang, and
Ms. Aditi Umapathy, Advocate
Mr. Alipak Banerjee & Ms. Shweta
Sahu and Advocates for D-26.
(M:9987115749)
Mr. Alipak Banerjee, Mr. Brijesh and
Ms. Shweta Shahu, Advocates for D-
27, 28 & 30.
Mr. Praveen Kumar Jain, and Ms.
Shalini Jha, Advocates for D-37.
(M:9871278525)
Mr. Ramesh Babu, Ms. Manisha Singh,
Ms. Jagriti Bharti, and Ms. Tanya
Chowdhary, Advocate for D-38 (M:
9971671294).
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 19 of 29
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Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Mr. Vihan Dang and Mr. Parva Khare
& Ms. Aditi Umapathy, Advs for D-52.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
(29) WITH
+ CS (COMM) 228/2021 & I.As. 6441/2021, 11684/2021, 1412-
13/2022, 12160/2022, 12171/2022, 13443/2022, 14920/2022,
14923/2022, 17716-17/2022, 3237/2023
BAJAJ FINANCE LIMITED ..... Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Abhishek Singh, Mr. Jamal Anand,
Mr. Elvin Joshy, Ms. Insha Mushtaq
Ms. Alisha Sharma & Mr. Ujjwal.
versus
REGISTRANT OF WWW.BAJAJ-FINSERVE.ORG
& ORS. ..... Defendants
Through: Mr. Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar,
CGSC with Mr. Srish Kumar Mishra,
Mr. Sagar Mehlawat Alexander Mathai
Paikaday, Advocates (M: 9810788606).
Mr. Darpan Wadhwa, Sr. Advocate
with Mr. Alipak Banerjee & Ms.
Shweta Sahu and Advocates for D-
6,7,11,12,14,17 and 22.
Mr. Manish Paliwal, and Ms. Himanshi
Kaushik, Advocates for D-18.
(M:8448257585)
Mr. Akhil Sibal, Sr. Advocate with Mr.
Aditya Gupta, Ms. Aishwarya, Mr.
Sauhard Alung and Ms. Asvari Jain,
Advocates for D-19. (M:9910083144)
Mr. Rajshekhar Rao, Sr. Advocate with
Mr. Tine Abraham, Mr. Manasa
Sundaraman C., Ms. Kshipra Pyare and
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 20 of 29
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Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
Ms. Mansi Sood Trileyal, Advocates
for D-28. (M:9324328752)
Mr. Ashok Kumar, Advocate for D-31.
(M:9810011826).
Ms. Swati Aggarwal, Ms. Binsy Susan,
Mr. Aasish Samasi and Mr. Mohit
Singh, Advs. for GoDaddy.
Ms. Hetu Arora Sethi, ASC, GNCTD
with Mr. Arjun Basra, Advocate Jai
Prakash, ACP, IFSO Cyber Cell along
with Inspector Sanjeev Solanki,
Inspector Kusum , Inspector Suneel
Siddhu and SI Manzoor Alam.
CORAM:
JUSTICE PRATHIBA M. SINGH
Prathiba M. Singh (Oral)
1. This hearing has been done through hybrid mode.
2. These matters relate to domain names being registered by unknown
third parties infringing trademark right of various brand owners and
implementation of court orders by the Domain Name Registrars
('DNR'). From time to time, various directions have been passed by this Court
in respect of blocking and locking of the infringing domain names, and
implementation of court orders by various DNRs, which may or may not be
located in India.
3. Vide previous order dated 10th February, 2023, the following directions
were issued:
"8. In view of the aforementioned facts which have come to
light through MEITY's status report, the submissions made
before this Court from time to time and the e-mails which have
been placed on record today, such as e-mails by Namecheap
Inc, it is clear that stringent steps would be required to be
taken, in order to curb the menace of illegal domain name
registrations having well known marks and names of business
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 21 of 29
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houses. It is accordingly directed that MEITY/DoT/the
appropriate authority shall take steps action in accordance
with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and
Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 against DNRs who do
not agree to comply with the said Rules or do not appoint
grievance officers or implement orders of Indian
Courts/Authorities.
9. Ld. Counsel for the Plaintiffs are free to communicate with
the official from MEITY Mr. Pradip Verma, who shall act as
the nodal officer for this purpose to coordinate with DoT and
any other authorities, at the e-mail address
[email protected] and submit their respective lists of
DNRs who are stated to be not complying with the orders
passed by this Court and not appointing the grievance officers.
10. It is directed that the concerned MEITY/DOT officials shall
peruse the various orders which are passed in these
proceedings prior to taking any action under the Information
Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media
Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Steps in respect thereof, in terms of
Rules be taken within four weeks. The action so taken shall be
placed on record by MEITY by means of a status report by the
next date of hearing."
4. Pursuant to the above order, today, a status report dated 25th March,
2023 has been placed on record on behalf of MeitY, which has been signed by
Mr. V. Chinnaswami, Scientist, MeitY. The following aspects and stand of the
MeitY have been elaborated upon in the said status report:
i. The first aspect that has been considered in the status report is in
respect of action that can be taken by ICANN against the DNRs
which do not give effect to orders of the court of competent
jurisdiction. The status report informs the Court that MeitY had
followed up with ICANN in respect of issued involving domain
name infringement and non-compliance of court orders by DNRs.
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 22 of 29
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Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
By reply dated 31st January, 2023, the clarification given by the
ICANN is to the following effect:
"4. That Internet Governance Division of
MeitY followed up with the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (hereinafter referred to as 'ICANN')
on the issues involving domain name
infringement and non-compliance of DNRs in
a related matter. ICANN, in its response
placed at Annexure I, has submitted as
follows. That Section 5.5.2.1.4 of the RAA
(Registrar Accredited Agreement) states that
ICANN may terminate a registrar's RAA
where a court of competent jurisdiction
determines that the registrar has failed to
comply with the terms of an order issued by a
court of competent jurisdiction relating to the
use of domain names sponsored by the
registrar. If evidence is received, ICANN
Contractual Compliance would follow its
established process and take enforcement
action as permitted by the RAA. The RAA
provides various means of redress for
consideration; termination of the RAA is not
the only option provided.
5. That pursuant to the process
established by ICANN and as per the
aforesaid response of ICANN, submissions
through the ICANN Contractual Compliance
Mechanism were made in the matter of Dabur
India Ltd against the offending DNRs. The
record of the complaint lodged against DNRs
through the ICANN Contractual Compliance
Mechanism is placed at Annexure II.
6. That, further, India's representative to
the Government Advisory Committee of
ICANN highlighted the issue of domain name
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 23 of 29
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Digitally Signed By:Devanshu
Signing Date:30.03.2023
22:26:49
abuse and the lack of stringent verification
process and reliability of available registrant
data in the Domain Name Space in the
"ICANN76" Meeting held from 11-16 March
2023. That in the said meeting, following
proper WHOIS Accuracy to curtail the
growing number of DNS Abuse related
litigation was stressed upon. That the
answering Respondent will continue to
deliberate and · take up the issues highlighted above on the ICANN and other similar internet governance forums in the future."
ii. In respect of second aspect, i.e., global mechanism pertaining to Domain Name Dispute Resolution, the MeitY status report captures the existing UDRP and INDRP policies. In addition, it is also stated that in the US, apart from the ICANN policy on Domain Name Dispute Resolution provisions of the Anti- cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, 1999 can also be invoked.
iii. On the third aspect of implementation of court orders by the DNRs, the status report sets out Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along Rules 3, 4, 6 & 10 of the IP (Blocking) Rules, 2009. On the said aspect, the conclusion of MeitY is as under:
"22. That, it is submitted that in the present case, if any DNR repeatedly does not comply with the directions of the Hon'ble Court, the same may be construed as a violation of public order and considered relatable grounds for ordering the blocking of the website/URL of such non-compliant DNR by CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 24 of 29 2023:DHC:2305 Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed By:Devanshu Signing Date:30.03.2023 22:26:49 the competent court under section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, if the competent court so directs. However, it is respectfully submitted that such blocking may have some adverse effect on the registrations of the non-compliant DNR, details of which are provided below."
Thus, the submission of MeitY is that if there is 'repeated' non- compliance of court orders by any DNR, in that case its conduct can be construed as a violation of public order and the website/URL of the non-compliant DNR itself can be blocked by the court under Section 69A of the IT Act.
iv. On the fourth aspect of the impact of blocking websites of DNRs, which is primarily a sequitur of the suggestion made by MeitY on the third aspect, concern has been expressed by MeitY that various domain name registrants could be inconvenienced in accessing services of renewals, transfers, record updates, name update etc., if the website/URL of Domain Name Registrars are blocked.
v. On the fifth aspect qua the requirement of due diligence by intermediaries, the status report states that if due diligence is not observed by intermediaries, the safe harbour protection given to the intermediary under Section 79 of the IT Act will not be applicable.
vi. Lastly, in respect of appointment of Grievance Officers under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code), 2021, the stand of the MeitY is as under:
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 25 of 292023:DHC:2305 Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed By:Devanshu Signing Date:30.03.2023 22:26:49 "33. That IT Rules, 2021 provide a grievance redressal mechanism by the intermediary, directing intermediaries to publish on its website, mobile-based application or both, as the case may be, the name of the Grievance Officer and his contact details as well as the mechanism by which a user or a victim may make a complaint against violation of the provisions of the IT Rules 2021 or any other matter pertaining to the computer resources made available by the intermediary. However, IT Rules, 2021 does not provide any specific penalty for infringement of the same.
34. That under the afore-said IT Rules, 2021, the intermediaries are required to take stringent steps in order to avail of the safe harbour clause under section 79 of the IT Act, 2000. That in case any DNRs do not comply with the competent court's orders, the safe harbour clause provided to such DNRs under section 79 of the IT Act will not be applicable.
That, however, the IT Rules 2021 does not prescribe any penalty /fine for infringing the provisions."
5. The RBI has also placed its affidavit on record in respect of the direction passed by this Court on 10th February, 2023 to the following effect:
"18. ld. Counsel for the RBI to seek instructions as to whether the RBI can issue guidelines making it mandatory for banks to match the beneficiary's name/ name in the billing details with the account holder's name and not merely the account number, whenever banks accepts online or offline payments."
6. The RBI's affidavit which is sworn by Mr. Ajay Abrol, Assistant General Manager, Department of Supervision (Banking), RBI states that in CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 26 of 29 2023:DHC:2305 Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed By:Devanshu Signing Date:30.03.2023 22:26:49 view of the manner in which names of account holders can be spelt, there can be mismatch of spellings in the names and, as a result a large number of transactions could get rejected, if the matching of beneficiary name with the account number is mandated. However, the affidavit adds as under:
"6. It is further submitted that Digital Payment products provides beneficiary name verification services which the originator can use to verify the name of the account to which funds are being transferred prior to initiating transfer. At present, the facility of beneficiary name lookup at the time of origination of transaction is available for UPI. RBI is exploring the feasibility for introduction of the aforesaid facility in other payment products such as RTGS, NEFT, IMPS etc both in online and off-line i.e. at the bank branch modes, and steps would be taken by RBI after taking into account technology, data privacy and other related issues.
7. It is submitted that issuing guidelines making it mandatory for banks to match the beneficiary's name in the billing details with the account holder's name before passing on credit will make digital payments inefficient and result in a large number of returns. In view of the submissions made herein above, RBI is not in favour of issuing any guidelines making it mandatory for banks to match name before passing on credit."
7. Insofar as the RBI is concerned, ld. Counsel Mr. Ramesh Babu shall obtain instructions as to whether there are any timelines in respect of feasibility of introduction of the facilities of beneficiary name lookup at the time of origination of transaction in case of RTGS, NEFT and IMPS, both in online and offline modes. Let an additional affidavit in respect of the said timelines be placed on record, if any.
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 27 of 292023:DHC:2305 Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed By:Devanshu Signing Date:30.03.2023 22:26:49
8. Ld. counsels for the Plaintiffs have also brought to the notice of this Court the orders passed by the ld. single judges of this Court in Star India Pvt. Ltd. v. 7MOVIERULZ.TC & Ors. CS (COMM) 604/2022and Star India Pvt. Ltd. & Anr. v. MHDTV.WORLD and Ors., CS (COMM) 567/2022. In the said cases, orders were passed directing DoT and Meity to take action for non compliance of Court orders qua five DNRs i.e. NameCheap Inc., Dynadot, LLC, Tucows Inc., Gransy s.r.o and, Sarek Oy. Upon the orders being passed, an application is stated to have been filed by NameCheap Inc. agreeing to give effect to the court orders passed in India.
9. The issues raised by MeitY in its status report as also the issues being considered by this Court on behalf of several IP owners and DNRs, raise various questions in respect of how to give effect to orders passed by Indian Court, especially by DNRs, who specifically take a stand that they would only be bound by orders passed by the competent Courts within their own jurisdiction.
10. Considering the stand of MeitY and the provisions of the applicable laws, the counsels may make their submissions on the next date of hearing as to the manner in which final orders can be passed in these suits so as to ensure that the orders of injunction, which are passed in respect of infringing domain names are given effect to by DNRs and all other authorities, in a manner so as to ensure that more and more consumers are not misled.
11. The written submissions on behalf of the Plaintiffs shall be compiled by Mr. Siddharth Chopra, ld. Counsel for the Plaintiff and by Mr. Banerjee, ld. Counsel on behalf of the Defendants. The same shall be placed before this Court. Written submissions on behalf of the Union of India shall be filed separately by Mr. Harish Shankar, ld. CGSC.
CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 28 of 292023:DHC:2305 Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed By:Devanshu Signing Date:30.03.2023 22:26:49
12. List for further hearing on 26th May, 2023 at 3:00 pm.
13. List CS (COMM) 158/2022, before the Registrar on 27th April, 2023 to enable the re-issuance of summons to the Defendant who is located in the USA.
14. List, CS (COMM) 276/2021 & 293/2021, before the Registrar on 27th April, 2023.
15. These are part heard matters.
PRATHIBA M. SINGH JUDGE MARCH 27, 2023 DK/DJ CS (COMM) 135/2022 & connected matters Page 29 of 29