High Court Orders Wipro to Compensate Ex-Employee Rs 2 Lakh Over Defamatory Relieving Letter
New Delhi, 19th July 2025: The Delhi High Court has directed IT major Wipro to pay ₹2 lakh in damages to a former employee after the company issued a relieving letter containing allegedly defamatory statements that tarnished his professional image.
The former employee, who served as a Principal Consultant at Wipro between March 14, 2018, and June 5, 2020, had approached the court seeking the removal of remarks from his relieving letter that he claimed were damaging to his reputation and professional integrity.
According to the court documents, the letter issued by Wipro described the employee’s conduct as “malicious” and stated that his actions led to an “irreparable breakdown” in the employer-employee relationship. The court took serious note of these assertions, recognizing their potential to cause long-lasting harm to the petitioner’s career.
Court’s Observations and Ruling
The High Court held that such characterizations, unless proven through due process, amount to defamation and unfairly prejudice the professional future of the individual concerned.
“Permitting such remarks to remain on official record would unjustly damage the petitioner’s career prospects and dignity,” the court observed.
In its verdict, the court ordered Wipro to:
Pay ₹2 lakh as general compensatory damages to the petitioner for the emotional distress, reputational harm, and loss of credibility caused by the content of the original letter.
Remove all defamatory remarks from the employee’s record.
Issue a fresh termination letter that excludes any disparaging statements, thereby rendering the earlier letter null and void in respect to those remarks.
