Interim defamation injunctions may restrain false or sensationalised online content about public figures to prevent irreparable reputational harm.

Interim ex parte injunctions in defamation disputes involving public figures may issue where online posts, videos or deepfake content are prima facie false, sensationalised, or capable of causing continuing reputational harm. The Court must balance free speech and reporting against reputation and privacy, but public status does not protect misleading depictions that threaten irreparable injury. Distinguishing legitimate incident reporting from harmful portrayal, the Court treated uncontested material in the public domain as suitable for removal or private conversion, while refusing any blanket protection for contested content at the interim stage.

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Issues: Whether interim ex parte injunction should be granted to restrain publication and circulation of allegedly defamatory social media posts, videos and deepfake content concerning a public figure, and to direct removal or conversion to private status of such material.

Analysis: The application was considered in the context of the settled caution governing pre-trial injunctions in defamation matters, where the Court must balance freedom of speech and expression against the right to reputation and privacy. The plaintiff was a public figure, but the Court found that this did not permit dissemination of content that was prima facie false, sensationalised, or capable of causing continuing reputational harm. The material depicting the plaintiff as being beaten was treated as an over-sensationalised and prima facie untrue depiction, and the possibility of future misuse and perpetuation of harm was treated as relevant to irreparable injury. At the same time, the Court distinguished between protected reporting of an incident and material that crossed into misleading or harmful depiction. On the record, uncontested posts and videos in the public domain were considered fit for removal or being made private, while the contested material was not given blanket protection at the interim stage.

Conclusion: Interim relief was warranted in part. The Court directed removal of certain X posts and conversion of public videos into private status, while declining any blanket refusal of speech-restrictive relief.

Ratio Decidendi: In defamation-related interim injunction matters, especially concerning public figures and online content, the Court may restrain material at the threshold where the content is prima facie false or sensationalised and continued publication would cause irreparable reputational harm, but must remain cautious to preserve legitimate free speech and reporting.

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