Bengaluru: Ahead of the theatrical release of Ustad Bhagath Singh, producer Mythri Movie Makers has secured an ex parte temporary injunction from the Bengaluru City Civil and Sessions Court, restraining the circulation of allegedly false, malicious, defamatory, or derogatory content concerning the film across digital and media platforms.
The order was passed by the Principal City Civil and Sessions Court, Bengaluru, in a suit filed by the production house against multiple intermediaries and platforms, including YouTube LLC, Big Tree Entertainment Pvt Ltd, X Corp., Google India Private Limited, IMDb.com Inc., and Meta Platforms Inc., along with an unnamed John Doe defendant.
In its order, the court directed the defendants to refrain from “telecasting, transmitting, publishing, distributing, sharing any material in any permanent, transient, audio format in any kind of media anything false, malicious, defamatory, derogatory, news concerning the film Ustad Bhagath Singh,” prior to its theatrical release. The interim relief will remain in force until the next date of hearing.
The matter is scheduled to come up for further hearing on April 27, 2026.
What makes the order particularly notable is the court’s reliance on the Karnataka High Court ruling in Meera Ajith v. John Doe @ Ashok Kumar (MFA 806/2022) to underline that John Doe orders are not confined to intellectual property disputes, but may also be invoked for protection of property-related rights and against unlawful interference by unknown persons.
Referring to that precedent, the city court observed that the right to anonymous action is not absolute and may be overridden where protection of a person’s or entity’s property rights is warranted. The court further noted that, based on the documents submitted by the plaintiff, a prima facie case had been made out in its favour and that the balance of convenience also lay with the producer.
The court recorded that failure to grant temporary relief could defeat the very purpose of the suit and lead to a multiplicity of proceedings.
Directed by Harish Shankar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, Ustad Bhagath Singh released in theatres today amid significant anticipation, with the court order aiming to prevent the spread of adverse or allegedly defamatory material around the film’s release window.
For Mythri Movie Makers, the legal team comprised Advocates Navod Prasannan, Rahul Mehta, Arpit Choudhury, Atul Menon, and Krunal Mehta.
