Court gags blogger Alai on city hospital organ trafficking claims

The High court has stopped blogger Robert Alai from publishing defamatory words against Mediheal Hospital and Fertility Centre Limited and its founder Swarup Mishra.

Justice Msagha Mbogholi granted Mediheal temporary orders after the hospital argued that Mr Alai has been spreading false information alleging that it [hospital] is a conduit for illegal trafficking of human organs.

Justice Msagha certified the case as urgent and directed that Mr Alai be served with the court papers ahead of the hearing of the case on April 22.

Mr Mishra, also the Kesses MP, argued the allegations by Mr Alai were severely denting Mediheal’s image locally and internationally.

He said the posts on Facebook and Twitter had caused panic among current and potential patients, investors, partners, financiers and donors leading to loss of business and opportunities.

“Unless a restraining order is issued, Alai will continue to spread malicious falsehoods about the hospital leading to economic loss, and a dented image which for a hospital is quite critical,”.

He said the tweets were accessible to over 1.6 million people who are his followers on his Tweeter accounts and millions others through retweets and forwards, more than 546,000 on his Facebook account, citations and republications.

He added that the posts were published in a sensational manner so as to garner more followers on his social media sites and thus profit economically from the plaintiff’s public embarrassment and scandal.