"She will be pursuing an appeal of this decision.”
Lord Rami Ranger won a battle to stop a women’s rights campaigner from sharing negative stories about him, even though he was stripped of his CBE for harassing her.
The Conservative Party donor was stripped of his CBE in December 2024 after a House of Lords standards investigation found that his behaviour towards journalist and women’s rights campaigner Poonam Joshi amounted to bullying and harassment.
He has now obtained an injunction requiring Ms Joshi to stop sharing newspaper reports about the findings, including reports concerning the disciplinary proceedings and allegations about his conduct.
The order was made by Richard Spearman KC, sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court.
It also prevents Ms Joshi from repeating a newspaper report alleging that Lord Ranger paid £50,000 for dinner with then Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch.
Lord Ranger has consistently denied criminal or financial corruption, while the Conservative Party has denied that any corrupt practices took place.
Ms Joshi, who is a mother of two and founder of the Indian Ladies UK community support group, had shared reports about the House of Lords disciplinary findings on her social media accounts.
Judge Spearman ordered her to delete posts containing links to the relevant newspaper reports.
Explaining his decision, he said: “It is not a major fetter on her [freedom of expression] to prevent her ‘rubbing salt into the wounds’ by herself repeating adverse statements about him which have already been widely reported.”
Ms Joshi is also prohibited from sharing or publishing media reports in which Lord Ranger was accused of making derogatory comments about Sikhs and Pakistanis.
If she breaches the injunction, she risks imprisonment, a fine or seizure of her assets.
Ms Joshi is planning to appeal against the ruling and has been ordered to pay £60,000 in immediate costs to Lord Ranger.
David Romain, her solicitor at Egality Law LLP, said: “My client is the only person in the world who for the rest of her life is forbidden from stating the outcome of her complaint, on pain of imprisonment.
“She will be pursuing an appeal of this decision.”
The court action follows a long-running dispute between Lord Rami Ranger and Ms Joshi that was investigated by the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards.
The Commissioner found that Lord Ranger had breached the House of Lords Code of Conduct through his behaviour towards Ms Joshi, including conduct on social media and in person.
It was concluded that the behaviour met the criteria for bullying and harassment.
The investigation followed complaints from Ms Joshi, who waived her anonymity.
She told the Commissioner that Lord Ranger had repeatedly referred to her on social media as a “presstitute”, a derogatory term used in India against journalists who criticise the BJP government.
She also accused him of falsely claiming that she had reported her husband, a BBC presenter, for domestic abuse.
The Commissioner found that Lord Ranger’s conduct was “repeated and deliberate” and concluded that he should apologise to Ms Joshi and undertake bespoke training and behaviour change coaching.
Lord Ranger agreed to the recommended remedial action, while Ms Joshi also apologised for her own conduct during the dispute.
In his apology, Lord Ranger said: “The Commissioner has found my behaviour fell short of the high standards I expect of myself and which others expect of me as a sitting member of the House of Lords.
“I have expressed my remorse and I apologise to Ms Joshi.
“The investigation process and reading and reflecting on the report has had a profound and lasting effect on me. I will continue to self-reflect and learn from this experience.”
Ms Joshi said: “The Commissioner’s report has given me the opportunity to reflect on my own actions, which have not met the standards I have set for myself.
“I am remorseful and accept that I bear a share of the responsibility for the circumstances which have arisen and I apologise to Lord Ranger.”
Lord Ranger was awarded his CBE in 2016 for services to business and community cohesion but it was revoked in December 2024 following a separate decision concerning the findings against him.
He previously described the removal of his honour as “cancel culture” and is taking legal action seeking its return, arguing that the sanction raises issues concerning freedom of speech.
Lord Ranger has also faced a separate House of Lords disciplinary case concerning an incident in the Commons Strangers’ Bar in January 2024.
The Conduct Committee found that his behaviour towards two members of the parliamentary community constituted bullying and harassment.
The House subsequently suspended him for three weeks and approved a 12-month ban on access to House of Lords bars and the service of alcohol.
In the latest case, Lord Ranger’s legal team said the court ruling noted that Ms Joshi had repeatedly published disparaging material and provided no evidence that she would stop without being restrained by the court.
Lord Ranger said: “I am grateful to the High Court for granting this injunction. It is regrettable that it was necessary to take formal legal action to stop this persistent denigration.”
