Delhi High Court restrains TRS leader K Kavitha from making allegations against The Pioneer
The Delhi High Court on Thursday restrained Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) leader K Kavitha from making allegations and imputations that The Pioneer newspaper was secretly acquired by her brother KT Rama Rao (KTR). Kavitha recently alleged many times that The Pioneer newspaper was acquired by her brother for Rs 188 crore and the newspaper now reflects the views of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Justice Sachin Datta also restrained many 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,” ordered Delhi HC.
The Court passed the order while dealing with a defamation suit filed by CMYK Printech Limited, the 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 her brother KTR has bought the newspaper,” argued Agrawal, initiating defamation case against former MP Kavitha.
He added that the allegations are being amplified by other social media handles and channels, causing even more damage. CMYK Printech has sought Rs 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. Kavitha, who was a Lok Sabha MP from the BRS. 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 Rs 188 crore and urged the public to distrust its reporting. CMYK Printech argued 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.
Advocate Saurav Agrawal was briefed by Lexster Law’s Advocates Shantanu Agarwal, Abhinav Tyagi, Vineeth Penmetsa, Aparna Tiwari, Avisha Agrawal, Vikas Tomar, Prachi Dubey, Anadi Mishra and Vikas Tomar.