New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has clarified and expanded the scope of its earlier interim injunction in favour of the Isha Foundation, directing that an additional 39 short videos and five English-language videos containing allegedly defamatory content against spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev also be taken down by online platforms.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad passed the order while allowing an application filed by the Isha Foundation seeking clarification of the Delhi High Court’s March 19 interim order, which had directed the removal of certain impugned videos and articles from online platforms.
The application contended that while the earlier order referred to links mentioned in the interim injunction application, it did not specifically include 39 short videos and five English-language videos listed in Paragraph 10 of the plaint, although they allegedly contained content identical to the videos already covered by the injunction.
Opposing the plea, defendants said that the application was, in effect, a review petition seeking to expand the scope of the interim relief already granted and could not be entertained under the guise of clarification.
After hearing the parties, the Delhi High Court said that though the application had been styled as one seeking clarification, it was “in fact one for modification”.
However, Justice Prasad held that the relief sought was not beyond the scope of the earlier interim injunction since the contents of the plaint had already been incorporated into the injunction application.
“Though this application is styled as one for clarification, it is in fact one for modification. The Applicant herein is including links which are not mentioned in the stay application… but these links which are mentioned in the plaint have been referred to at Paragraph 25 of I.A. No. 30090/2025, which makes the content of the Plaint a part and parcel of the said application. Therefore, it cannot be said that the prayer in the present application is alien to those in I.A. No. 30090/2025,” the court said.
The High Court also added that its March 19 order had already held the impugned content to be prima facie defamatory and had specifically referred to Paragraph 25 of the injunction application, which in turn referred to Paragraph 10 of the plaint.
“This, in the opinion of this Court, is implication enough that the 39 short videos and five English language videos do not require a separate adjudication, on account of them being a part of I.A. No. 30090/2025,” Justice Prasad said.
Holding that the modification was necessary to give full effect to its earlier order, the Delhi High Court directed that Paragraphs 58 and 59 of the March 19 order stand modified.
Under the modified directions, Defendants 2 and 3 have been restrained from creating, publishing, uploading or disseminating any defamatory content, while Defendants 1 and 3 have also been directed to remove the impugned videos and articles “as well as the 39 short videos and five English language videos mentioned at Paragraph No. 10 of the Plaint”.
The Delhi High Court directed that the present order be read conjointly with its March 19 order and disposed of the application.
The matter is now listed before the roster Bench on August 5.
The Isha Foundation had instituted the suit alleging that defamatory and misleading videos targeting Sadhguru continued to be circulated on online platforms.
On March 19, the Delhi High Court had granted an interim injunction directing the removal of identified videos and restraining further dissemination of such content pending adjudication of the suit.
(IANS)
