Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 21: In connection with the alleged obscene video case, the 25th additional civil and sessions court, Bengaluru, has passed an ex parte interim injunction restraining media organisations from publishing or broadcasting any defamatory statements or news against IPS officer K Ramachandra Rao.
The court has directed media houses to immediately remove all defamatory videos, audio clips, call recordings, visuals and news reports related to Ramachandra Rao from their websites, digital platforms and official social media accounts. The court has also ordered the issuance of urgent notice and summons to the respondents and adjourned the matter to February 27.
The order was passed by judge Gopala Krishna Rai while hearing the original suit filed by suspended DGP Ramachandra Rao, who is facing allegations of behaving indecently with a woman in his office.
The court order states that the respondent media organisations, their reporters, anchors, or any persons claiming under them are restrained, through an ex parte injunction, from printing, publishing, uploading, circulating or broadcasting any defamatory news, comments, statements or call recordings against Ramachandra Rao until the next hearing of the case. This restriction applies to print media, electronic media, television channels, websites, and social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp and YouTube.
Further, the court has directed respondent media organisations to immediately take down all defamatory videos, audio clips, call recordings, visuals and press reports related to Ramachandra Rao that are currently available on their websites, digital platforms and official social media accounts.
It may be recalled, some obscene videos and audio clips allegedly linked to senior IPS officer Dr K Ramachandra Rao, who was serving as the DGP of the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE), were widely circulated on social media platforms and broadcast on news channels. Following this, the state government ordered his suspension from service.
Aggrieved by the developments, Ramachandra Rao approached the court, stating that several Kannada and national news channels were broadcasting malicious, unverified and false statements based on the alleged obscene videos and audio clips. He sought an injunction restraining the media from airing any defamatory content against him and directions to remove the news reports, videos and audio clips that had already been published.