Media and press litigation concerns the legal questions arising from publication, broadcast, and reporting, including defamation, the right to reputation, freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a), privacy, and the regulatory framework governing media conduct. Afentis Legal represents media organisations, journalists, and individuals and entities affected by publication, in both the assertion and the defence of claims. The firm’s litigators have handled press-related matters at the intersection of reputation, free expression, and regulatory scrutiny.
The firm approaches media disputes with attention to the constitutional balance between free expression and the competing rights of reputation and privacy. Defamation and injunction proceedings are handled with recognition of the high threshold that restraint on publication must meet, and the defence of publication is built on the applicable protections, including truth, fair comment, and privilege. The firm acts on both sides of these disputes with the same command of the governing principles.
Service Spectrum
- Civil and criminal defamation proceedings, in assertion and defence
- Applications for and resistance to injunctions restraining publication
- Disputes engaging freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a)
- Privacy and reputation claims arising from reporting and broadcast
- Representation before media-regulatory bodies and in related writ proceedings
- Advisory work on pre-publication risk and editorial exposure
- Coordination of media litigation with parallel proceedings
- Appeals and Special Leave Petitions in media and press matters
Firm’s Approach
The firm’s media practice draws on its constitutional strength, which is central to disputes turning on the scope of Article 19 and the limits of permissible restraint. Injunction proceedings are approached with recognition of the constitutional caution against prior restraint, and defamation matters are prepared with attention to the available defences and the standard of proof. The firm’s ability to act for both publishers and affected parties reflects a settled command of the principles that govern the field rather than a fixed alignment.