Delhi High Court Issues Notice To The Caravan In Nikhil Gadkari Defamation Case

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to The Caravan magazine and its editor-in-chief regarding a defamation suit filed by Nikhil Gadkari, son of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Justice Subramonium Prasad issued the notice while hearing a plea seeking interim relief in the matter, which centers on published reports linking Nikhil Gadkari and his company to the processing and sale of beef and bovine meat products. The court has set August 31 for the next hearing on the interim relief plea.

The legal action forms part of a broader lawsuit instituted by Nikhil Gadkari alongside his business entity, Cian Agro Industries and Infrastructure Ltd. In their application before the High Court, the plaintiffs have sought explicit directions to compel the magazine to take down the published content. Additionally, the plea seeks an injunction to restrain the news publication from disseminating any further allegations against them that are characterized as false, malicious, and defamatory.

The core of the dispute relates to a specific report published on March 1, 2026, bearing the headline “Nagpur’s Beef – The Beef Company Enmeshed in Gadkari’s Business Empire.” Following that publication, starting on or around March 3, the defendants allegedly released and distributed a series of false, misleading, and defamatory articles, posts, videos, and digital materials associating Nikhil Gadkari and Cian Agro Industries with the trade, processing, or export of beef or bovine meat products.

Refuting the assertions made in the published reports, Nikhil Gadkari stated in the court petition that his company operates in the manufacture and trade of agro-based commodities, all of which are entirely vegetarian in nature. He emphasized that the company and its management have never held any licence, permit, or regulatory authorization whatsoever for the slaughter, processing, trade, or export of beef, buffalo meat, or any other bovine meat products.

Furthermore, the petition contended that Nikhil Gadkari was being deliberately targeted by the defendants due to his political parentage, pointing out that he is the son of a senior Union Minister who also previously served as the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).