A 25-year-old man from Pune, who reviewed motorcycles online, is seeking a lawyer to take his case pro bono after being served with a defamation lawsuit by Mahindra & Mahindra’s Classic Legends, the maker of Jawa and Yezdi bikes. The company is demanding Rs 5 lakh with 18% interest and wants the man to remove all his critical reviews and cover their litigation expenses.
The man, who is fighting a consumer case against Mahindra for allegedly selling a faulty bike, turned to Reddit for support, sharing his distressing experience. He claims that the company filed a defamation case against him simply for posting genuine reviews about his ownership experience. He shared that he highlighted repeated mechanical failures and faulty product issues, but the company’s records do not reflect these repairs, making it easy to manipulate records.
The man is seeking a lawyer to take on the case pro bono, citing financial constraints and the fact that he has already spent over Rs 50,000 on legal fees. He fears that if he loses the case, he will be forced to pay the damages and compromise his online reviews. In his plea, he also expressed concern that it could be him tomorrow if the company is allowed to succeed in such cases.
Classic Legends, in a statement, said that they have acted with integrity and are committed to their customers, and are confident in the strength of their position. However, the man remains skeptical, stating that the company is not open to out-of-court settlement.