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A Bengaluru civil court has restrained content creator Jayant Shilanjan Mundhra from publishing or circulating allegedly defamatory statements concerning Embassy Developments Limited and directed Meta Platforms Inc and Google entities to block access in India to a specified video dated September 3, 2026.
The ad-interim ex parte order was passed on October 17 by the XXIV Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge in Original Suit No. 7740 of 2026, filed by Embassy Developments Limited under Order VII Rule 1 read with Section 26 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Advocate Chintan Chinnappa appeared for the plaintiff. The court restrained Mundhra, his servants, agents, representatives and persons acting on his behalf or in concert with him from creating, publishing, uploading, telecasting, broadcasting, printing, circulating or otherwise disseminating allegedly defamatory statements or imputations concerning the company. The restraint extends to statements that are the same as, substantially similar to, or convey the same or a similar defamatory sting as those allegedly made in the video dated September 3, 2026. The relevant URLs are listed in Document No. 14 of the court record. The court also issued a restraint against Defendant No. 2, identified as John Doe, and other unidentified persons in relation to the specified statements and substantially similar content concerning the company. In a separate direction, the court ordered Meta Platforms Inc, Google India Private Limited and Google LLC, arrayed as Defendants 3 to 5, to take down, remove, delete, block or disable access in India to the identified video. The direction also covers re-uploads, mirror versions, clips, screen recordings, translations and substantially similar versions of the video. The platforms have been directed to comply within 24 hours of being notified of the order, in terms of the relief sought in the plaintiffs application, IA No. III. The court directed the plaintiff to comply with Order XXXIX Rule 3(A) of the Code of Civil Procedure. It also ordered the issuance of summons in the suit and notices in interim applications Nos. I to IV, along with temporary injunction notices to Defendants 1 to 4, subject to payment or re-deposit of the process fee by November 23, 2026. The matter is next listed for November 23, 2026, for summons. The order is an interim ex parte measure passed at this stage of the proceedings. The defendants have not been heard before the grant of the interim relief, and the allegations concerning the video have not been finally adjudicated by the court. The courts directions do not amount to a final determination of whether the statements in question are defamatory. The matter will proceed in accordance with law, with further proceedings scheduled for November 23. (ANI)
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