The Bombay High Court granted interim relief to singer Kumar Sanu in his Rs 50 crore defamation suit against ex-wife Rita Bhattacharya. Justice Milind Jadhav restrained her and media outlets from publishing defamatory or false statements about him publicly.
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court provided interim relief to Bollywood playback singer Kumar Sanu in his Rs 50 crore defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife, Rita Bhattacharya.
Justice Milind Jadhav issued a restraint order in favor of Sanu, prohibiting Bhattacharya and certain independent media outlets from writing, speaking, posting, publishing, or otherwise disseminating any allegedly defamatory, false, or slanderous statements about the singer or his family in any medium.
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Sanu’s lawsuit against Bhattacharya arises from her September 2025 interviews on YouTube channels Film Window, Viral Bhayani, and Siddharth Kannan, in which he alleges that she made false and scandalous claims about his behavior during their marriage. These videos were reportedly widely circulated and collectively accumulated over 1.5 million views, causing irreparable damage to his reputation, professional opportunities, and leading to an influx of abusive comments on social media.
Kumar Sanu has quantified his total claim at Rs 50 crores, broken down as Rs 15 crore for alleged actual commercial losses, including cancelled concerts, reduced appearance fees, and suspended endorsement contracts, Rs 10 crore towards damage to professional reputation and goodwill, Rs 15 crore for mental agony, humiliation, and emotional distress and Rs 10 crore as exemplary and punitive damages to deter similar conduct in the future
The Court observed that Bhattacharya’s interviews exceeded the bounds of fair commentary.
The judge stated,
“I am of the opinion that at some places in the interviews which have been given by Bhattacharya, there is a clear personal tirade against Sanu which is prima facie qualified by words that are used therein,”
ALSO READ: Delhi High Court Protects Singer Kumar Sanu’s Personality Rights And Publicity Rights
Additionally, the Court instructed her to refrain from sharing or promoting any allegedly defamatory or misleading content about Sanu on social media, as well as print or digital platforms, pending the hearing of the interim application.
The Court directed,
“Needless to state that Defendant No.1 shall not give any further contentious interviews or continue with the tirade on the same line which are objected to by the Plaintiff in the aforementioned paragraphs 7.1 to 7.13 and 8.1 to 8.23 of the Interim Application until the Interim Application is determined by this Court.”
Advocate Atif Shaikh, representing Bhattacharya, suggested that the dispute be sent to mediation, noting that the couple’s son had recently married. The Court acknowledged this request but emphasized that Bhattacharya must immediately stop any further reputational damage or insinuations against Sanu.
Sanu’s counsel, Sana Raees Khan, argued that the interviews had caused significant financial and personal harm, including the cancellation of previously scheduled shows abroad. She pointed out that Sanu’s personality rights had previously been upheld by the Delhi High Court.
While granting injunctive relief against new statements, the Court chose to defer Khan’s request for the removal of the allegedly objectionable interviews, stating that it would revisit this issue after receiving responses from the defendants.
The Court stated,
“the request for deletion of the said objectionable interviews / contentious parts of the said interviews will be considered on next date after going through the replies of Defendants to the Interim Applicaiton.”
The Court also instructed Khan to inform it by the next hearing date whether Sanu would agree to mediation, without compromising his rights and claims. The matter is scheduled for another hearing on January 28.
Advocate Shaikh was joined by Advocates Ayesha Ahmed and Shanu Chaturvedi, representing Bhattacharya, while Advocates Amishi Sodani and Charu Shukla appeared for Google LLC. Advocates Rishabh Jaisani and Harit Lakhani, briefed by Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, represented Meta.
Case Title: Sanu Bhattacharjee @ Kumar Sanu v. Rita Bhattacharya & Anr
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