Delhi HC restrains Hockey Coach & HarperCollins from publishing confidential information of players
The single-judge bench was hearing a suit filed by Hockey India seeking an injunction and damages for breach of Hockey India’s Code of Conduct and Sanctions, which is binding on HarperCollins and Sjoerd Marjine.
Justice Amit Bansal of the Delhi High Court on Tuesday passed ad interim injunction against former Women's Indian Hockey team coach Sjoerd Marjine and publishing company HarperCollins restraining them from publishing confidential information about the hockey player in Marijne's book ‘Will Power: The Inside Story of the incredible turnaround in Indian Women’s Hockey’.
The court was hearing a suit filed by Hockey India seeking an injunction and damages for breach of Hockey India’s Code of Conduct and Sanctions, which is binding on HarperCollins and Sjoerd Marjine. It was alleged that Marjine signed a confidentiality agreement with Hockey India and disclosing confidential details about players amounted to a breach of the code of conduct.
The single-judge bench noted that a division bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Amit Sharma had granted an interim stay on the release of the book while dealing with a plea filed by Gurjit Kaur, a Hockey player seeking not to include any information about her medical condition.
The court also noted that subsequently, another plea was filed by Men’s Hockey team Captain Manpreet Singh seeking permanent and mandatory injunctions against the Hockey coach and publishing company for false and defamatory statements made against him, wherein the court restrained the two defendants from releasing or publishing any defamatory content in relation to allegations made against him.
Justice Bansal stated, “A prima facie case is made out on behalf of the plaintiff. From a reading of the highlighted portions of the manuscript of the Book and based on the observations contained in the order dated 19th September 2022 passed by the Division Bench in FAO(OS) 107/2022, I am of the prima facie view that the confidentiality clause in the Code of Conduct has been breached by the defendant no.2 by seeking to publish the aforesaid highlighted portions of the Book".
Consequently, the court stated that the balance of convenience was in favor of Hockey India, and thus, the court ordered, “till the next date of hearing, an ad interim injunction is passed, restraining the defendants from marketing/publishing/disclosing for commercial gain the Book/manuscript or any part thereof containing the aforesaid highlighted portions on pages 23-24, 68, 87 and 91 as noted above.”
The matter has now been posted on November 18, 2022 for further hearing.
Case Title: Hockey India v. HarperCollins Publishers India Private Limited & Anr.