Loud Voices Made the Deaf Hear: Piramal CHFL’s legal action against the cyber-dissenters

The article discusses Piramal Capital and Housing Finance Limited’s (PCHFL) legal actions against online critics, particularly in response to dissent over the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) acquisition. It highlights how PCHFL, under Ajay Piramal’s leadership, issued legal notices to silence “cyber-dissenters” who accused the company of misconduct in the DHFL resolution process. The piece frames this as part of a broader “web-based non-violent civil disobedience movement” against crony capitalism in India, led by the authors who had previously added “Controversies” sections to Wikipedia pages about Ajay Piramal and his companies. These additions were removed, which the authors attribute to suppression efforts. The article also references a specific legal notice from DSK Legal, Piramal’s counsel, targeting the authors for alleged defamation, claiming their online content caused reputational and financial harm. The authors argue that such legal moves reflect an attempt to stifle free speech and dissent, drawing parallels to historical resistance against oppression.