Delhi High Court restrains use of ‘Baap Ki Adalat’, protects Rajat Sharma’s personality rights

The HC passed the ad-interim ex parte order in favour of Sharma in a lawsuit filed by him and his company ‘Independent News Service Private Limited’ which owns IndiaTV news channel.

The plaintiffs alleged that Choudhary, a “self-proclaimed political satirist”, was creating and publishing audio video content on social media platforms. They claimed that the defendant was using a logo and the mark ‘Baap Ki Adalat’ which was “deceptively similar” to the logo of IndiaTV and its show ‘Aap ki Adalat’.

Sharma argued that the usage of the logo by Chaudhary for social media posts is identical to the manner in which he has been using the mark on his channels.

The HC said that the plaintiffs had made out a “prima facie case” for granting an ex parte ad interim injunction till the next hearing. It said that the “balance of convenience” lies in the plaintiffs’ favour and they are likely to suffer irreparable harm in case the injunction is not granted. The court further issued summons in the lawsuit and notice on the plaintiffs’ application for interim relief.

The matter is now listed on October 18.