On July 14, 2025, the Delhi High Court
("Court") delivered a significant
judgment in Abhijit Mishra
("Mishra") v. Wipro Limited
("Wipro"), a case that may redefine how
termination letters are drafted. What was once an official
confidential communication between employer and employee can now
trigger legal action on its own.
When a Letter Speaks Louder Than the Firing
Ordinarily, termination letters surface in litigation only when
the termination itself is under challenge in a wrongful dismissal
claim. Here, by contrast, it was the content of the termination
letter that was attacked as defamatory, and the Court agreed. This
was despite the fact that the letter had not been shared with
anyone other than the employee. That leads to the central question:
how did the Court find a private communication between an employer
and employee defamatory?
