The Delhi High Court has highlighted that despite all of the propaganda from the Congress claiming differently, neither Smriti Irani nor her daughter Zoish Irani has ever had a license in connection with a Goa-based restaurant called Silly Souls Cafe.

In a civil defamation lawsuit brought by Union Minister Smriti Irani against Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera, and Netta D’Souza, claiming damages of Rupees 2 Crores for their libelous utterances, Justice Mini Pushkarna made the following observations.

In a press conference, Congress leaders claimed that the Goa restaurant “Silly Souls Cafe and Bar” is owned by Zoish Irani and has obtained its excise license illegally. After the accusations, Smriti Irani sent a legal notice to Congress party leaders Pawan Khera, Jairam Ramesh, and Netta D’Souza over their false accusations against her daughter and asked for a formal apology.

False menus for the restaurant were distributed with beef on the menu in an effort to demonize the BJP politician, continuing the hit-job against Irani and her daughter that began with the false accusations made by Congress leaders. After the fabricated issue, senior Trinamool Congress figures like Kirti Azad even published exceedingly offensive caricatures of Irani.

Recently, Merlyn Anthony D’Gama and her son Dean D’Gama, the restaurant’s owners, responded to a show-cause notice sent by Excise Commissioner Narayan M. Gad on Friday, July 29. The D’Gama family claimed they are exclusive owners of the property and has no connections with Smriti Irani’s daughter.

However, once the lawsuit was filed in court, the High Court ordered the involved Congress leaders to retract all accusations. The court observed, “Considering the documents on record it is clearly seen that there was no license which was ever issued in favor of the plaintiff or her daughter. The plaintiff or her daughter are not the owners of the restaurant. It has also been established by the plaintiff prima facie that the plaintiff or her daughter never applied for the license.”

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