Raymond withdraws contempt petition against publication of Vijaypat Singhania's autobiography

Raymond Limited has withdrawn its contempt petition from the Bombay High Court against the release of its former chairman emeritus Dr Vijaypat Singhania's autobiography An Incomplete Life. The withdrawal comes a day after a two-judge bench of the Bombay High Court set aside a single judge's order stopping the sale, circulation, and distribution of Singhania's autobiography.

Dr Vijaypat Singhania is involved in a legal battle with his son Gautam Singhania and the Raymond Company over the release of the autobiography.

Last week on November 4, Justice S P Tavade of Bombay High Court had passed an order restraining further sale, distribution and circulation of the book. Later on Wednesday, a division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and Abhay Ahuja set aside this order.

"Raymond Ltd. has withdrawn its contempt petition from the Bombay High Court,"  noted Pan Macmillan Publishing India Pvt. Ltd in an official statement. The publishers of An Incomplete Life maintain that Raymond's petition was completely frivolous. The publisher claimed that the injunction dated 4th November 2021 was passed due to suppression of facts by Raymond.

"We have made Vijaypat Singhania's autobiography An Incomplete Life available for sale since the Honourable High Court yesterday set aside the 'erroneous' injunction order of 4 November, and are overjoyed to be further vindicated today," noted Pan Macmillan.

In 2019, Raymond Limited and its chairman Gautam Singhania had filed suits in a Thane district sessions court and a civil court in Mumbai, seeking injunction against the autobiography claiming the book's contents were defamatory. In April 2019, the Thane court had granted an injunction on the release of Singhania's autobiography.

Kartik Nayar, one of the advocates representing Raymond Limited, told BusinessToday.In that due to the Thane court being shut for Diwali vacations they had moved to the Bombay High Court. "Keeping in line with advice from the Bombay High Court we have withdrawn the contempt petition from there and will be filing the contempt petition in Thane Court tomorrow as it is open now," said Nayar. "The petition has been withdrawn so that the same can be filed in the Thane court," added Nayar.

"The division bench has set aside the order given on November 4 that was only reaffirming the injunction that already stands. The original injunction order from Thane court is not being vacated and is still there," added Nayar.

On November 4, Raymond Limited had approached the Bombay high court seeking urgent reliefs claiming Vijaypat Singhania had "surreptitiously" released the 232-page book on October 31. Raymond sought the high court to restrain the publishers, Macmillan Publishers Pvt Ltd, from further distributing, selling or making available the book.

The petition filed by Raymond claimed that Vijaypat Singhania and the publishers of the book had breached the April 2019 order issued by the sessions court in Thane district.

Also Read: Bombay HC restricts sale of ex-Raymond boss Vijaypat Singhania's autobiography