Read Time: 03 minutes

Synopsis

BharatPe co-founder, Ashneer Grover, assured the Delhi High Court last week that he would uphold confidentiality obligations regarding his former employer and strictly adhere to the terms of his employment agreement. This commitment was made before the bench of Justice Sachin Datta on November 24, and the statement was officially recorded.

Advocate Giriraj Subramanium, representing Grover, informed the court of Grover's readiness to issue an apology for posts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) where confidential details were disclosed. Grover, who served as the Managing Director of BharatPe, resigned from the position on March 1, 2022.

BharatPe initiated legal action by filing a petition under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996. The petition sought an interim injunction to prevent Grover from divulging the company's confidential information publicly.

Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal, representing BharatPe, argued that despite Grover's resignation, he retained sensitive information in violation of his obligation to surrender such details. Sibal highlighted a pattern of Grover making defamatory statements in social media posts, which were later deleted, causing irreversible damage.

Subramaniam acknowledged that Grover should not have made those posts and expressed his client's willingness to apologize. He also questioned the petition's maintainability, asserting that ongoing arbitral proceedings between the parties should also cover disputes related to the employment agreement.

The High Court, taking note of this aspect, decided to consider it during the next hearing scheduled for December 22.

It is to be noted that Grover had previously tendered an apology on Tuesday for violating the Delhi High Court's order, resulting in a fine of Rs. 2 lakh imposed by the court, which deemed his conduct as "appalling."

Case Title: Resilient Innovations Private Limited v. Ashneer Grover