Tejasvi Surya gets court order to gag media

Tejaswi Surya, the 28-year-old BJP candidate from Bangalore South, got a gag order from a local court against 49 media outlets restraining them from carrying "defamatory statements" against him.

The court order bars 49 media outlets including English and Kannada newspapers and TV stations as well as social media giants like Facebook and Google from publishing "false, malicious and derogatory" news about Surya.

The publications named include The Times of India, The Hindu and Deccan Herald, among English publications, and Kannada newspapers like Prajavani, Kannada Prabha, Vijaya Karnataka and Udayavani.

The suit also names TV9, Suvarna News and Public TV among Kannada channels; WhatsApp, YouTube, Yahoo India, Facebook India and Google India among online media and CNN News 18, Times Now, India Today, News X and Republic TV among English television channels.

The temporary injunction order handed by the Court on March 29 will be in place till May 27 after which the case will be heard again. It is interesting to note that the BJP candidate sought the gag order on media at the time of elections.

"It appears that some of the prima-facie defamatory messages pertaining to him is in transit in the Media i.e., print and electronic. The plaintiff has produced a copy of the twitter publication i.e., called as 'Me Too' case against," says the order from Bengaluru City Civil Court.

Allegations against Surya, a lawyer by profession, first appeared on Twitter by a woman who complained he had a dark side to him.

"The defendants are hereby restrained from making defamatory statements against the plaintiff in any manner in electronic or printing media," the judge said.