Delhi High Court Issues Restraining Order Against K Kavitha
The Delhi High Court has issued a restraining order against K Kavitha, a Telangana politician, prohibiting her from making public allegations that The Pioneer newspaper was secretly acquired by her brother, KT Rama Rao (KTR), and now promotes the views of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Justice Sachin Datta extended this injunction to several YouTube channels, digital platforms, journalists, and publishers, preventing them from echoing or amplifying these claims.
In the ruling, Justice Datta stated, “Considering the circumstances, Defendant Number 1 (K Kavitha) is restrained from publishing, republishing, broadcasting or disseminating in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, the defamatory statement and imputations contained in the plaint or any other content containing the same or similar allegations against the Plaintiff or The Pioneer on any platform. Defendant Numbers 2-15 are also restrained.”
Details of the Defamation Suit
The case arose from a defamation suit filed by CMYK Printech Limited, the owner and publisher of The Pioneer. Advocate Saurav Agrawal represented the newspaper, arguing that the accusations were baseless and could be disproven by examining the company’s shareholding structure.
“There is a sibling rivalry going on. She is saying the paper is controlled by her brother. She is saying KTR has bought the newspaper,” Agrawal noted during the proceedings. He further emphasized that the allegations are being magnified by other social media platforms and channels, thus causing additional harm.
Claims and Counterclaims
CMYK Printech is seeking ₹11 crore in damages, asserting that Kavitha falsely claimed in a live-streamed video on July 9 that KTR purchased The Pioneer for approximately ₹188 crore and urged the public to distrust its reporting. Kavitha, who was a former Member of Parliament (MP) from the BRS, was suspended from the party in September 2025 by her father and party president, K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), due to alleged anti-party activities.
The newspaper’s owners assert that the allegations are unfounded, as no such transaction occurred. They maintain that the company’s shareholding and board records can independently verify this. The suit alleges that other defendants used Kavitha’s statements as a basis to report the supposed acquisition as fact, without conducting independent verification.
Impact of the Allegations
The consequences of these claims have been significant, with franchisees in Bhubaneswar, Dehradun, Bhopal, and Raipur, as well as advertisers in Noida and Delhi, seeking clarifications following the video’s dissemination. Furthermore, at least one subscriber has canceled their service.
Advocate Saurav Agrawal received assistance from Lexster Law’s Advocates Shantanu Agarwal, Abhinav Tyagi, Vineeth Penmetsa, Aparna Tiwari, Avisha Agrawal, Vikas Tomar, Prachi Dubey, and Anadi Mishra in preparing the case.
