Mumbai: The social media
battle against Malabar Gold & Diamonds, a well-known jewelry company, has
now reached the court. The Bombay High Court has issued an interim injunction
directing X (formerly Twitter) to block Indian influencer Vijay Gajera's
account in India only. This decision follows a defamation suit filed by Malabar
Gold, in which the company described Gajera's posts as "false and damaging
to the brand" in September 2025, criticizing its alleged collaboration
with Pakistani influencer Alishba Khalid. Alishba Khalid, a UK-based social
media influencer, made controversial comments about India's Operation Sindoor
in May 2025, mocking the Indian Army's military strikes. This operation was
launched in response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on
April 22, 2025, in which 26 innocent civilians were killed. On May 7, India
carried out missile strikes on nine Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba
terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK under 'Operation Sindoor'.The root of the controversy is
a store opening event of Malabar Gold in the UK in September 2025, where
Alishba Khalid was invited as a promoter. Vijay Gajera targeted the company by
posting on X on September 10: "Malabar Gold is collaborating with
Pakistani influencers who are anti-India. This is unacceptable!" His posts
went viral and #BoycottMalabarGold started trending, especially before
Dhanteras and Diwali. The company's owner, M.P. Ahmed (Rajya Sabha MP from
Kerala) clarified that Khalid was one of several promoters of the event and the
company was unaware of her earlier posts. Malabar immediately severed ties with
Khalid and her agency, JAB Studios. However, Gajera posted again on October 15:
"MP Ahmed's Malabar Gold wants to send me to jail because I exposed their
collaboration with a Pakistani influencer, which mocks Operation Sindoor. I am
ready to go to jail for the Army's honour."On September 29, 2025, a bench
of Justice Sandeep V. Marne granted interim relief in Malabar's favor. The
court ordered Meta, X, Google, and news portals to remove 442 URLs that labeled
the company as "pro-Pakistan." The court said, "It is wrong to
link the company to Pakistan simply because it hired an influencer. This
appears to be a rumor spread by competitors." However, the controversy
escalated when Malabar sought civil imprisonment against Gajera, claiming he
was not complying with an earlier court order. The court has now directed X to
block Gajera's account in India, but not his global reach. Gajera's supporters
are calling it an "attack on freedom of expression," while the
company is calling it a "step against misinformation."The trend has gone viral just
before Dhanteras. Thousands of users on X shared posts: "Boycott Malabar,
patriotism first!" Some questioned why Bollywood is silent on Pakistani
artists. Malabar claims this is a "social media trial" that is
harming its business during the festive season. The company has also filed a
complaint with the Cyber Cell, Mumbai.The case raises the question
of balancing freedom of expression and brand reputation. The next hearing is on
November 11. The warning to social media users is clear: fact-checking is
essential, or legal action could be taken. For brands like Malabar, influencer
choice is now linked to national security.