The Madras High Court has issued an interim injunction restraining temple activist Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam, Tiruchi district, from making any defamatory statements against noted Vedic scholar and orator Dushyanth Sridhar on social media platforms, particularly X and YouTube.
Justice K. Kumaresh Babu granted the temporary relief until the disposal of a civil defamation suit filed earlier this year by Dushyanth Sridhar, who is seeking ₹1 crore in damages. The orator alleged that the activist had already published several abusive and derogatory remarks targeting him on various platforms.
The suit was filed in February 2025, along with a plea seeking the court’s permission to institute proceedings in Chennai, despite Dushyanth Sridhar residing in Bengaluru and the defendant in Srirangam. Dushyanth Sridhar contended that a significant portion of his audience and followers are based in Chennai, making the jurisdiction appropriate.
Senior counsel Satish Parasaran, appearing for Dushyanth Sridhar, cited two international judgments to support the request: the House of Lords’ decision in Turner vs. Grovit (2011) and the High Court of Australia’s ruling in Dow Jones and Co Inc vs. Gutnick (2022). He argued that these precedents affirmed a plaintiff’s right to choose a forum of convenience.
Accepting the argument, Justice Babu granted leave to institute the suit in Chennai on 23 June 2025 and ordered that the matter be registered. He then proceeded to hear the plea for an interim injunction, granting the activist four weeks to file a reply.
The court noted that even during preliminary arguments, Narasimhan had acknowledged making certain social media statements against Dushyanth Sridhar. However, his defense was that the comments were not defamatory.
“This court, on going through the statements made by the respondent, prima facie finds that such statements are defamatory in nature. Hence, there shall be an order of interim injunction as prayed for,” the judge ruled.
Appearing for Dushyanth Sridhar, advocate Rahul Balaji submitted that the activist was known for regularly posting objectionable content targeting various individuals on social media. He submitted screenshots of similar statements made by Narasimhan, including those aimed at dissuading a senior counsel from appearing in the case.
Taking note of these materials, Justice Babu observed, “Such statements have been made challenging the learned senior counsel who had appeared for the applicant… They are in the nature of making the learned senior counsel to keep him away from appearing in the cases.”
Accordingly, the court not only barred Narasimhan from making further defamatory remarks against Dushyanth Sridhar but also restrained him from making any future statements against the lawyers representing Dushyanth Sridhar or other opponents in any of his cases.
The matter will now proceed with further hearings, with the interim injunction in place until a final verdict is reached.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
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