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A Bombay High Court bench of Justice S.J. Kathawala and Justice Abhay Ahuja has set aside single judge's order stopping the sale, circulation and distribution of industrialist Vijaypat Singhania's autobiography 'An Incomplete Life'.

The double bench was hearing an appeal against the single judge’s order.

Justice Surendra P. Tavade of the Bombay High Court had restrained the sale, circulation and distribution of aviator industrialist Vijaypat Singhania’s autobiography: An Incomplete Life.

Singhania, 83, former chairperson of the Raymond Group, is embroiled in a legal battle with his estranged son Gautam Singhania and the Raymond's Company over the release of the book.

The Raymond's company had approached the High Court claiming that Vijaypat Singhania had "surreptitiously" released the 232-page book, and hence claimed urgent relief.

It is contended that in 2019, Raymond Ltd and its chairman Gautam Singhania had filed suits in a Thane district sessions court and a civil court in Mumbai, seeking injunction against the book claiming its contents were defamatory. In lieu of the same in April 2019, the Thane court had granted an injunction on the release of the book.

The double bench observed that the single bench had passed the order ‘under an erroneous impression’ that interim order of the Thane sessions court against the erstwhile publisher Penguin, staying the publication of the book, was to continue while the appeal filed by Raymond was pending, the judges said.

Thus, setting aside the order of single judge, the Bench noted that parties are at liberty to move the Learned Single Judge and renew the Application afresh which will be decided on its own merits without being influenced what is stated in this Order.

Cause Title: Pan Macmillan Publishing India Pvt. Ltd. Versus Raymond Limited & Ors.