Mussoorie (Uttrakhand): Rupa Publications has called off the publication of its yet-to-be-released book 'The Mussoorie Murders' after ITC Group's famous and historic hotel 'The Savoy' approached Delhi High Court with a suit seeking a permanent injunction against it.
The hotel had also got an FIR registered against the publisher alleging that the book contained defamatory content against it. The book makes mention of "fictional murder stories" at the hotel and also uses a picture of the hotel's facade on its cover, as per the complaint made to the police.
The bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna was informed on Friday that The Savoy Hotel of Mussoorie and the book publisher signed an agreement and settled the issue on September 4. The court then dismissed the suit as withdrawn.
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The book authored by Divyraroop Bhatnagar was earlier available for pre-order on e-commerce platforms and was set for launch on September 9. "Over the years, The Savoy Hotel in Mussoorie has earned a reputation for being haunted," the blurb on the book's cover read.
Rupa Publication in the letter also said that neither the publisher nor the author had any intention to defame the hotel and that there was no ill-intention on their part. There was no ill-intent attached to the act and they were not aware of any ongoing or past litigations related to the issue, said the letter further.
On September 23, the court was told the parties had signed the letter and reached an agreement. In terms of the agreement, the Court was informed, the FIR which was registered by the hotel may also be withdrawn.
