Mumbai Court Restrains CarryMinati, Others Over Allegedly Defamatory Videos Against Karan Johar

A Mumbai Sessions Court has granted interim relief to filmmaker Karan Johar by restraining YouTuber CarryMinati, whose real name is Ajey Nagar, along with talent manager Deepak Char and others, from publishing or circulating allegedly defamatory content against him on social media platforms. The order was issued by the court of Principal Sessions Judge PG Bhonsale while hearing a civil suit filed on Johar’s behalf through Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta.

The legal dispute centres around videos uploaded on YouTube that Johar’s counsel described as defamatory, vulgar, and abusive. Advocates representing the filmmaker argued before the court that the content had severely harmed his reputation and continued to circulate widely across digital platforms, even after certain uploads were removed.

During the hearing, Johar’s legal team urged the court to pass urgent orders to prevent further dissemination of the material. They submitted that while some of the original videos had been taken down, edited clips and short-format reels derived from the content were still being shared and reshared by unknown individuals across social media networks.

Counsel for CarryMinati contended that the primary videos in question had already been removed, arguing that there was no ongoing cause for legal intervention once the content was no longer available on the original channel. However, Johar’s representatives countered that the damage continued through widespread circulation of excerpts and reposted clips.

After considering submissions from both sides, the court observed that there was a prima facie case suggesting that defamatory statements and inappropriate language had been used against the filmmaker. The judge held that the situation warranted immediate intervention and described it as a fit case for granting ad-interim injunction orders.

The court consequently restrained the defendants, along with unnamed “John Doe” individuals, from posting, sharing, or recirculating any further defamatory material concerning Johar until the matter is heard in detail at the interim relief stage. In addition, directions were issued to Meta Platforms to remove video links containing the alleged defamatory content from its platforms.

Legal observers note that the case highlights the growing legal scrutiny surrounding influencer-generated content and the responsibilities of digital platforms in managing potentially defamatory material. The order underscores the judiciary’s willingness to intervene swiftly when reputational harm is alleged in the digital space.

The matter will now proceed to a detailed hearing, where the court will consider Johar’s application for interim relief more comprehensively. Until then, the temporary injunction remains in effect, preventing further publication or circulation of the disputed content.