The Supreme Court on Monday extended till August 8 its previous order restraining criminal defamation proceedings against news website The Wire in a Gujarat court on a complaint filed by Jay Shah. The website had moved the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court refused to quash the case in February.

Bharatiya Janata Party National President Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah had filed the case against The Wire in October 2017 after it published a story alleging that the revenues of his company grew massively within a year of the party coming to power in 2014.

On March 15, the Supreme Court issued an order restraining proceedings in the Gujarat magistrate court, and later extended it. Earlier, the Gujarat High Court had said the report was prima facie defamatory and the journalists would have to face trial.

On Monday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud posted the matter for final hearing on August 8, PTI reported.

Appearing for the website, lawyer Raju Ramchandran said the two parties could not settle the matter amicably outside the court, as the Supreme Court had suggested in April.

Jay Shah’s lawyer NK Kaul alleged that the website was “acting as a mouthpiece of the political opponents” of Amit Shah and “factually incorrect statements” were being made inside and outside Parliament.

Jay Shah has filed a civil defamation suit as well, seeking Rs 100 crore in damages from the website.