The Delhi High Court on Thursday restrained Telangana politician K Kavitha from making allegations and imputations that The Pioneer newspaper was secretly acquired by her brother KT Rama Rao (KTR) and now reflects the views of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
Justice Sachin Datta also restrained a host of YouTube channels, digital platforms, journalists and publishers from making the similar allegations or amplifying them.
"Considering the circumstances, Defendant Number 1 (K Kavitha) is restrained from publishing, republishing, broadcasting or disseminating in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, the defamatory statement and imputations contained in the plaint or any other content containing the same or similar allegations against the Plaintiff or the Pioneer on any platform. Defendant Number 2-15 are also restrained,” the Court ordered.
The Court passed the order while dealing with a defamation suit filed by CMYK Printech Limited, the owner and publisher of The Pioneer newspaper. Advocate Saurav Agrawal appeared for the paper and argued that the allegations are false and that the shareholding pattern of the company proved this fact.
"There is a sibling rivalry going on. She is saying the paper is controlled by her brother. She is saying KTR has bought the newspaper," Agrawal said.
He added that the allegations are being amplified by other social media handles and channels, causing even more damage.
CMYK Printech has sought ₹11 crore in damages over allegations made by Kavitha that the 160-year-old daily was secretly acquired by KTR and now reflects BRS' views. Notably, Kavitha used to be a Member of Parliament (MP) from the BRS. However, she was suspended from the party in September 2025 by her father and party president, K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), over alleged anti-party activities.
The controversy relates to a live-streamed video Kavitha posted on her YouTube channel on July 9, in which she claimed KTR had purchased The Pioneer for approximately ₹188 crore and urged the public to distrust its reporting.
CMYK Printech says that the claims are baseless and that no such transaction occurred. It adds that its shareholding and board records can independently verify this. It alleged that other defendants, which include a mix of YouTube channels, digital platforms, journalists and publishers, went further than merely reporting Kavitha's statement. The suit states that they presented the alleged acquisition as fact through their own headlines and editorial framing, without independent verification.
It has been stated that the fallout of the allegations has been tangible as franchisees in Bhubaneswar, Dehradun, Bhopal and Raipur, and advertisers in Noida and Delhi, sought clarifications after the video spread, while at least one subscriber cancelled service.
Advocate Saurav Agrawal was briefed by Lexster Law's Advocates Shantanu Agarwal, Abhinav Tyagi, Vineeth Penmetsa, Aparna Tiwari, Avisha Agrawal, Vikas Tomar, Prachi Dubey and Anadi Mishra.