Delhi High Court Bars Misuse Of Moneycontrol Name For Running Fraudulent Investment Schemes

The Delhi High Court has permanently restrained several individuals from misusing the “Moneycontrol” name, a widely used financial news and stock market information platform, to run fraudulent investment schemes on WhatsApp. The court also ordered that the WhatsApp accounts and mobile numbers linked to the scam must remain blocked. A single bench of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed the order on December 19, 2025, in a trademark infringement and passing-off suit filed by Network18 Media & Investments Limited, which operates Moneycontrol through its website, mobile applications, and social media platforms.The court observed, “The activities of the Defendants establish a clear intention of showing a direct nexus or affiliation with the Plaintiff and making a misrepresentation that its services have been licensed or approved or endorsed by the Plaintiff.”Network18 told the court that unknown individuals were falsely claiming to be associated with Moneycontrol, a trusted source of financial news, stock market data and investment information followed by investors across India. These individuals allegedly sent WhatsApp messages inviting people to join investment groups that promised stock tips and unusually high returns.The court noted that Network18 began receiving complaints from members of the public in March 2024. Several people reported receiving messages from WhatsApp groups claiming to be official Moneycontrol initiatives. One such group was titled “CINV The Premier Strategy Group.” According to Network18, these groups had no connection with Moneycontrol and were created to deceive unsuspecting investors into transferring money.The court noted that an ad-interim injunction had earlier been granted restraining the misuse of the 'Moneycontrol' mark and directions were issued to WhatsApp and telecom service providers to block the identified accounts and mobile numbers. Despite service of notice, the individuals involved did not appear before the Court or challenge the proceedings.After examining the material on record, the court held that the activities clearly amounted to misrepresentation and were intended to create a false impression of association with Moneycontrol.“On a bare perusal the infringement activities conducted by the infringing Defendant Nos. 1 to 21, it is evident that these Defendants sent messages to customers via WhatsApp as part of a scheme to deceive them into transferring substantial sums of money,” the Court said. The court has now passed a decree of permanent injunction restraining the individuals from using the Moneycontrol name or making any false claims of association with the platform. It also directed that the identified WhatsApp accounts and mobile numbers must remain blocked for another year. The court clarified that these numbers should not be reissued to the same individuals and ordered that one of the WhatsApp groups involved be permanently blocked..Case Title: Network18 Media & Investments Limited v. Krishnaa @ Jagtar Singh & Ors.Case Number: CS(COMM) 328/2024For Plaintiff: Advocates Abhilasha Nautiyal & Tarun TripathyFor Defendants: Advocates Swati Agarwal, Shashank Mishra, Vaarish Sawlani, Akshi Rastogi, Rithika Mathur & Anuipamaa Reddy Eleti for WhatsApp; Advocate Syed Urfee Haider for Bharti Airtel Ltd. Click Here To Read/Download Order

Delhi High Court Bars Misuse Of Moneycontrol Name For Running Fraudulent Investment Schemes

Ayushi Shukla

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