The Karnataka High Court, on Tuesday, October 10, modified the trial court order that suspended the X account of Dr Cyriac Abby Phillips, known as ‘theliverdoc’, and allowed his account to be restored. The court passed the order based on the condition that Dr Abby should temporarily take down or hide the posts on Himalaya Wellness Company products till the case is disposed of. Justice SG Pandit was hearing a petition filed by Dr Abby against the defamation suit filed by the Himalaya Wellness Company.
Senior advocate Aditya Sondhi, appearing for Dr Abby, argued that the blanket gag order should be revoked and the account be restored. “The nine offending tweets may be hidden, I leave it to your Lordships. I am not conceding (that tweets are defamatory)” Bar and Bench reported. The court, placing on record that the posts will be hidden, ordered to restore the account and adjourned the case to November second week.
Dr Abby’s account was suspended in India on September 28 after the Himalaya Wellness Company secured a court order against him. The company approached a Bengaluru court asking for Dr Abby to be restrained from “tweeting, making or publishing, re-tweeting and republishing defamatory remarks” against Himalaya Wellness and its products. Himalaya also asked to suspend his account on X. The Kerala based hepatologist and clinician-scientist is famous for his criticism about alternative health remedies, especially AYUSH medicines. Dr Abby, on October 7, moved the Karnataka High Court against the trial court order.
Dr Abby had criticised several products produced by Himalaya, especially its product called Liv52. In 2021, Dr Abby stated that Liv52 aggravates pre-existing liver diseases and this had gone viral. The doctor had also presented his research on the same.