Bengaluru Court Restrains Media from carrying “unfounded” news on KPSC recruitment scam accused Basavaraj Kannale and his family: an ex parte temporary injunction, passed before the defendants were heard.
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Bengaluru: Media organisations and social media platforms may not publish or circulate unfounded news reports about Basavaraj Kannale, an accused in the alleged Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment scam, or his family members, a Bengaluru court has ordered, adding a direction to remove material already uploaded [Basavaraj Kannale v. TV9 Network and Others].
Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Sudha Seturam Onkar passed the ex parte temporary injunction on October 5, 2026, in O.S. No. 7329 of 2026. Kannale filed the suit against TV9 Network, TV9 Kannada and 23 other defendants, with a “John Doe” defendant added for unidentified publishers, and the court disposed of two interim applications under Order 39 Rules 1 and 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
What the defendants must stop and take down
The defendants stand restrained from “telecasting, publishing, writing, circulating and uploading any unfounded news, article, headlines, audio, video, interview” and similar content about Kannale and his family members in connection with the KPSC veterinary officers recruitment scam case. They must also disable public access to articles, news items, interviews, audio and videos already uploaded that carry such unfounded news. Notice to the “John Doe” defendant is to be published in Kannada and English newspapers.
The order is interim and ex parte. The defendants are yet to be heard, and the next hearing is on November 2, 2026.
Why the court did not wait for the defendants
The court recorded its satisfaction that the defendants had published and uploaded unverified news relating to the investigation, and that this had damaged Kannale’s reputation. On issuing no notice before passing the order, it observed:
“The purpose of grant of temporary injunction will be defeated by delay if notices are ordered to defendants.”
Kannale and the criminal case
Kannale is the sixth accused in the criminal case registered by the Vidhana Soudha Police over the alleged KPSC recruitment scam involving 400 veterinary officer posts. He is also an accused in related cases being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and is in ED custody till October 12. These allegations are untested, the court in the present suit has expressed no view on them, and he is presumed innocent.
In the civil suit he seeks a permanent injunction against editors, publishers, printers, broadcasters and social media operators, to stop them from publishing, telecasting, streaming, uploading or circulating what he describes as defamatory, unverified and sensationalised material about him and his family. He also asks for directions to remove such material already published or uploaded.
What the order puts in play
This is a pre-publication restraint on coverage of a live criminal investigation, granted at the interim stage and without hearing the media houses affected. It reaches only “unfounded” or unverified content, so the practical line between unverified reporting and reporting on the investigation and the court record is what the defendants will test at the next hearing.
Interests lie on both sides: Kannale’s claim to reputation and a fair process for himself and his family, and the public’s interest in, and the media’s freedom to report on, an investigation into alleged irregularities in public recruitment. The court has not yet heard the defendants on that balance.
Case Title: Basavaraj Kannale v. TV9 Network and Others [O.S. No. 7329 of 2026]
Bench: Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge Sudha Seturam Onkar, Bengaluru
Date of Order: October 5, 2026
Appearances: Senior Advocate M Aruna Shyam, instructed by Advocate Nishanth SK, for the plaintiff