Alibaba, Jack Ma summonsed by Indian court over former employee's wrongful dismissal complaint

Record ID: 1564071

  • Title: Alibaba, Jack Ma summonsed by Indian court over former employee's wrongful dismissal complaint
  • Date: 26th July 2020
  • Summary: GURUGRAM, HARYANA, INDIA (FILE - NOVEMBER 11, 2017) (ANI - NO USE INDIA) PEOPLE ENTERING DISTRICT COURT SIGNBOARD AT COURT ENTRANCE POLICE ON DUTY GURUGRAM, HARYANA, INDIA (JULY 26, 2020) (ANI - NO USE INDIA) (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) VINAYAK GUPTA, LAWYER REPRESENTING FORMER ALIBABA EMPLOYEE PUSHPANDRA SINGH PARMAR, SAYING: "We have filed the petition for damages and their consequential relief and we have also filed a civil suit. I can't exactly comment on the court's decision as the case has just got started. In the coming days, we will get to know the view of the court as the proceedings take place."
  • Embargoed: 9th August 2020 17:17
  • Keywords: Alibaba China Gurugram India Jack Ma Pushpandra Singh Parmar
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events
  • Reuters ID: LVA005COG2YPZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: An Indian court has summoned Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma in a case in which a former employee in India says he was wrongfully fired after objecting to what he saw as censorship and fake news on company apps, documents seen by Reuters showed.
    In court filings dated July 20 (Monday) and previously not reported, the former employee of Alibaba's UC Web, Pushpandra Singh Parmar, alleges the company used to censor content seen as unfavourable to China and its apps UC Browser and UC News showcased false news "to cause social and political turmoil."
    Vinayak Gupta, the lawyer representing Parmar said on Sunday (July 26): "We have filed the petition for damages and their consequential relief and we have also filed a civil suit."
    The case comes weeks after India cited security concerns in banning Alibaba's UC News, UC Browser and 57 other Chinese apps after a clash between the two countries' forces on their border.
    Following the ban, which China has criticized, India sought written answers from all affected companies, including whether they censored content or acted for any foreign government.
    Parmar worked as an associate director at the UC Web office in Gurugram until October 2017 and is seeking $268,000 in damages.
    Civil Judge Sonia Sheokand of a district court in Gurugram, a satellite city of India's capital, New Delhi, has issued summonses for Alibaba, Jack Ma and about a dozen individuals or company units, asking them to appear in court or through a lawyer on July 29, court documents showed.
    Alibaba representatives did not respond to requests for comment from the Chinese company or on behalf of Jack Ma.
    The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi and China's foreign ministry in Beijing, as well as India's IT ministry in New Delhi, did not respond to requests for comment.
    (Production: Paul Warren, Bharati Naik)
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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