Hearing the petition of Dr Cyriac Abby Philips aka Dr Liver Doc challenging the suspension of his X account, the Karnataka High Court ordered the restoration of his account on the condition that he hides the alleged “defamatory tweets” against ayurvedic pharma company Himalaya India and its products, LiveLaw reported.
The Kerala-based doctor’s account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was suspended last month after Himalaya Wellness Corporation filed a petition accusing Philips of posting derogatory statements against its products. A Bengaluru court then issued an interim injunction order restraining Philips from “tweeting, making or re-publishing defamatory remarks”. His X account was also suspended.
Philips is well-known for challenging so-called home remedies through detailed posts on his social media. He moved the high court against the trial court’s interim order.
According to LiveLaw, Philips’s lawyer Aditya Sondhi told the court that the trial court’s order was “disproportionate” and a “blanket gag”. He also argued that Philips’s posts were not defamatory. The high court said the suspension would be lifted if “offending tweets will be hidden in respect of the plaintiff and its products”.
The next hearing in the matter is on November 2.
After his X account was suspended, Philips told Newslaundry he had received no notification about the Himalayan Wellness petition. He also explained that he’s been critical about some of Himalaya’s products because they “make outlandish claims without any proof”. Read about it here.
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