The Calcutta High Court on September 22 quashed a trial court’s gag order against nutrition YouTuber Arpit Mangal, who had flagged heavy metals in Emami Limited’s product, Zandu Ashwagandha Gold Plus. The trial court had restrained Mangal from publishing any content about the product following his video revealing elevated lead and mercury levels, which could pose health risks, according to medianama.com.
The gag order, issued on May 3, 2025, barred Mangal and his company from making any statements about the product across all media. The Division Bench of Justices Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Sandip Kumar De overturned this, citing lack of commercial motive or advertiser ties that would invoke influencer disclosure rules. The court also recognized Mangal’s qualifications as adequate for commenting on nutrition and health matters, applying the Bonnard standard that limits pre-trial speech injunctions.
This ruling underscores judicial protection of free speech in consumer safety matters, particularly for independent reviewers without commercial interests. The case highlights tensions between corporate reputation management and public health disclosures in India’s growing digital content space. It also sets a precedent for how courts may handle similar gag orders against influencers raising product safety concerns, balancing legal restraint with public interest.
The Calcutta High Court’s decision came nearly 16 months after the initial gag order, marking a significant legal affirmation of content creators’ rights to critique products based on scientific findings. The full court order is available on medianama.com.