The Bombay High Court ordered the removal of videos targeting BJP Minister Girish Mahajan and restrained two YouTubers from sharing similar content until the defamation case filed by Mahajan is finally resolved.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court ordered the removal of six allegedly defamatory videos directed at Maharashtra Water Resources Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Girish Mahajan.
The court also prohibited two YouTubers from publishing or sharing similar content while a defamation suit filed by Mahajan is pending.
A single bench of Justice Arif Doctor granted ad-interim relief, stating that the material in question was prima facie and per se defamatory.
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The judge remarked that the YouTubers (defendants) accused of posting this defamatory content had not appeared before the court to defend their actions. The court concluded that, “in the absence of any defense, the allegations in the videos were deemed per se defamatory and necessitated immediate restraint.”
According to the civil defamation suit filed by Mahajan, six videos uploaded between April 1 and April 14, 2025, contain a series of false and damaging allegations.
Five of these videos were published on the YouTube channel “Anil Gaganbhedi Thatte,” managed by YouTuber and journalist Anil Thatte, while one appeared on “Mudda Bharat Ka,” operated by Shyam Giri.
One of the objectionable videos was titled “How Girish Mahajan’s Nights are Colourful,” which allegedly made unfounded insinuations involving a senior IAS officer. In another video, titled “Girish Mahajan wants 100 Crores… another sensational revelation,” Thatte ridiculed the possibility of legal notices and implied that the minister was engaged in financial misconduct.
Despite receiving a cease-and-desist notice on April 10, a further video with disparaging remarks was uploaded on April 14.
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Representing Mahajan, Senior Advocate Ravi Kadam argued that the videos were “false, reckless, and defamatory,” aimed solely at sensationalism. He highlighted that the minister has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Jalgaon since 1995 and asserted that such widely viewed content could severely damage his reputation.
Kadam further noted that the defendants showed “scant regard for the law” by continuing their actions even after receiving legal notices.
No representatives appeared on behalf of Thatte or Giri. A third party originally included in the suit was identified as incorrect, and the court permitted an amendment to add Google LLC as a defendant, recognizing its role as the operator of the YouTube platform.
Granting ad-interim relief, the court ordered that,
“Pending disposal of the present suit, the Defendant No.1 and Defendant No.2… be restrained… from in any manner making, publishing or republishing… any defamatory and/or libellous or slanderous statements, video or articles… in relation to which the Plaintiff has taken objection.”
Additionally, the court mandated the removal of the six identified videos containing the allegedly defamatory content.
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It instructed Mahajan to serve a copy of the order to Google LLC to ensure compliance with this takedown directive.
The matter is set to be heard next on June 20, 2025.
Senior Advocate Ravi Kadam, along with Advocates Mayur Khandeparkar, Rohan Kadam, Prahlad Paranjpe, Shubra Paranjpe, Rushikesh Mundargi, Manish Kelkar, Subir Sarkar, Ativ Patel, Harshad Vyas, Viloma Shah, Viraj Raiyani, and Yash Tembhe, instructed by AVP Partners, represented Girish Mahajan.
Advocate Charu Shukla appeared for Google India Pvt. Ltd.
Case Title: Girish Dattatray Mahajan v Anil Thatte and Ors