Palki Sharma Upadhyay, former managing editor of Wion News was not restrained from working with Network 18.

Case: Zee Media Corporation Limited v Palki Sharma Upadhyay

Palki Sharma Upadhyay, a journalist and former managing editor of Wion News (owned by Zee) was not restrained from joining or working with Network 18. Upadhyay's counsel, however, undertook to not disclose any sensitive or confidential information she may have had access to during her engagement with Zee to any third parties.

Zee filed the lawsuit alleging that Upadhyay breached the non-compete and confidentiality clauses in her employment contract in front of a single-judge Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani.

For years, Sharma represented Wion News. In September, she left the channel to work with Network 18, which owns CNN News 18 and News 18 India.

According to Zee, the defendant (Upadhyay) failed to serve her mandatory notice period of 90 days and is in possession of sensitive and confidential information regarding Wion's strategy, hiring, fundraising, and plans.

The defendant is illegally exploiting this information without any authority by seeking employment with another competing news channel, such as Network 18.

In light of this, Zee requested an injunction restraining Upadhyay from disclosing any confidential and proprietary information, as well as an injunction preventing her from working with any competing business until June 2023.