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Concluding that Maheshwari had presented a prima facie case and that "irreparable harm" would result without an injunction, the court passed an order against Kotnala
The Delhi High Court has issued an injunction restraining Vikash Kotnala, the YouTube channel partner of entrepreneur Vivek Bindra, from posting any defamatory or disparaging videos or material against YouTuber and motivational speaker Sandeep Maheshwari.
The order, passed on Monday, comes after Justice Prateek Jalan found a prima facie link between Kotnala and Bindra, concluding that Kotnala's videos amounted to circumventing a trial court order that had restrained both Maheshwari and Bindra from posting defamatory material against each other.
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Maheshwari, argued that Kotnala had been propped up by Bindra to make allegations against Maheshwari.
The senior advocate pointed out the two videos posted by Kotnala, wherein he alleged that Maheshwari was attempting to extort money from Bindra and using students to undermine Bindra in the market
Despite Bindra being a defendant in the case, no order was sought against him, as both Bindra and Maheshwari are bound by the trial court's order issued on December 22, 2023, restraining them from making defamatory allegations against each other.
Justice Jalan remarked on the deteriorating discourse in the social media world and observed, "I don’t mean any disrespect, but this is some sort of war that is starting on these YouTube channels. It is not that I am seeing this for the first time. There seems to be a very low level of discourse during this fighting between some rivals."
Concluding that Maheshwari had presented a prima facie case and that "irreparable harm" would result without an injunction, the court issued an order against Kotnala.
The injunction order passed by the court today restrains Kotnala from publishing any defamatory or disparaging video against Maheshwari in any online or offline mode until the next date of hearing.
Maheshwari and Bindra have been engaged in a public feud since December 11, 2023, when Maheshwari released a video titled 'Big Scam Exposed,' indirectly implicating Bindra.
Case Title: Sandeep Maheshwari & Anr. v. Vivek Bindra & Ors.
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