Overview
- A single-judge bench led by Justice Arif Doctor issued an ad-interim order on July 24 restraining media outlets and specified YouTube channels from publishing terms such as "haunted," "cursed," "unlucky," or "ill-omened" about the Ashirwad bungalow.
- Businessman Shashi Kiran Shetty, the current owner, told the court he rebuilt the property but retained the name Ashirwad and sued after finding articles and videos linking the house to bad luck and career downfalls.
- The court said the material was prima facie defamatory and likely to impinge on Shetty’s right to live peacefully and with dignity, noting that most respondents did not appear in court or justify their publications.
- One defendant removed a video after pre-suit notice but most publishers did not respond, and the High Court directed all respondents to file formal replies ahead of the next hearing on August 21, 2026.
- The case highlights rising tensions between short-form online sensationalism and reputational rights and could shape how Indian courts police allegedly defamatory digital content in future interim orders.