Delhi High Court Rules 'The House of the Blue Mangoes' Does Not Infringe Sivasundari Bose's Work

The Delhi High Court has recently ruled that the novel 'The House of the Blue Mangoes' by David Davidar does not infringe the copyright claimed by author Sivasundari Bose, bringing an end to a dispute between the two that has stretched on for years.

Delivering the judgment on April 30, 2026, Justice Tejas Karia said the similarities pointed out between the two works stemmed from shared historical context, cultural references, and familiar elements of multi-generational family sagas, material that falls outside the scope of copyright protection.

Bose had filed a suit seeking a declaration that Davidar's novel was based on her manuscript Golden Stag and sought rendition of accounts. Davidar, in turn, filed a cross-suit seeking a permanent injunction against alleged groundless threats and defamation, along with damages of Rs 21 lakh.

Bose alleged that her manuscript, submitted to Penguin India during Davidar's tenure, had been misused to create the novel. She pointed to multiple similarities in characters, plot elements, and scenes between the two works.

Davidar denied the allegations, arguing that the similarities related to historical facts, cultural practices, and scènes à faire typical of works set in South Indian history. He maintained that the two books were entirely different in expression, structure, and narrative treatment.

Examining the evidence, the Court held that Bose had failed to establish that Davidar had access to her manuscript. The material on record indicated that the manuscript was not forwarded to him, and there was no evidence to show otherwise.

The Court reiterated that copyright law protects only the expression of ideas and not the ideas themselves, and found that the differences in text, style, and narrative progression between the two works outweighed any alleged similarities.

“Given the determination that David's Book does not infringe upon the copyright of Ms. Sivasundari Bose's work and that Mr. David Davidar has neither breached trust nor wrongfully appropriated the manuscript submitted by Ms. Sivasundari Bose to Penguin India, there is no basis for Ms. Sivasundari Bose to claim damages from Mr. David Davidar.,” the court held.

On Davidar's claim of defamation, the court found that Bose's actions were taken in good faith while pursuing legal remedies. It observed that making such assertions and seeking legal advice in relation to a dispute would not amount to defamation.

The court also held that the claim relating to groundless threats became infructuous once Bose instituted her own infringement proceedings with due diligence.

Accordingly, the court dismissed both suits and directed the parties to bear their own costs.