Telangana Court Grants Interim Injunction In Favour Of TSRTC Against Rapido's Advertisement Featuring Allu Arjun

A Telangana Court recently granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction in favour of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) against Rapido, an app-based bike taxi aggregator and YouTube to remove an advertisement starring Tollywood superstar Allu Arjun which allegedly defamed TSRTC.

The City Civil Court's Xth Junior Civil Judge in Hyderabad has directed respondent No.2 (YouTube) to block access to the original and modified version of the ad Film identified by the plaintiff till December 27, 2021.

Further, by granting Ad-Interim Injunction, Rapido, its successors, directors, employees, servants, agents, representatives claiming through it have been restrained from telecasting, broadcasting, streaming reproducing distributing, making available to the public and or communicating to the public the original and modified versions of the ad films, on their websites or through the internet in any manner till December 27, 2021.

The matter in brief

Essentially, TSRTC had moved the Court alleging that Rapido was running defamatory ad films against it on various television channels and on the internet including on 'YouTube'.

It was claimed that Rapido was airing advertisements featuring actor Allu Arjun wherein it was shown that travelling on TSRTC buses was uncomfortable and unsafe.

It may be noted that Rapido had earlier changed its commercial videos after TSRTC had objected to it, however, as per TSRTC, the only difference in the Advertisement was a change in the colour scheme of the bus and the removal of the number plate.

Before the Court, TSRTC submitted that the modified ad film by Rapido continued to show that usage of bus services (offered by TSRTC) in Telangana is dangerous.

Against this backdrop, it was submitted by TSRTC that the statements in these ad films were false statements that have irreversibly damaged the reputation of Plaintiff (TSRTC) in the eyes of the public and as a consequence of this, it was claimed, the citizens in the State of Telangana are hesitating to use the bus transport service of the Plaintiff Corporation.

"The overall effect of the ad films is that any reasonable viewer after seeing the ad film will get the impression that the bus services of the Plaintiff are dangerous and should be avoided...Defendant No.1 (Rapido) created such an impression by hiring a prominent actor to false statements against the bus service offered by Plaintiff (TSRTC)...the continued airing of the ad films is hurting the reputation and the business of Plaintiff (TSRTC). They have created alarm in the minds of the customers regarding the bus services of Plaintiff (TSRTC). Since the defamatory ad films began to be aired, several users and citizens have expressed apprehensions about using the bus service of the Plaintiff (TSRTC)," the plaint of TSRTC before civil court filed through Advocate T.Jayant Jaisoorya averred.