Mumbai, Jan 23: Singer Kumar Sanu scored a significant legal victory on Wednesday as the Bombay High Court granted him interim relief in the ₹50 crore defamation suit filed against his ex-wife, Rita Bhattacharya. The court issued a gag order preventing her and certain media houses from publishing, posting, or disseminating any allegedly defamatory or false statements regarding the singer or his family.
Justice Milind Jadhav noted that some of Bhattacharya’s past interviews went beyond fair commentary and contained “personal tirade” against Kumar Sanu. “In certain portions of the interviews given by Bhattacharya, there is a clear personal tirade against Sanu, which is prima facie evident from the language used,” the judge said.
The court also prohibited Bhattacharya from sharing or circulating any allegedly misleading content on social media, digital platforms, or print media until further hearings. Sanu’s counsel, Sana Raees Khan, argued that these statements had caused significant personal and financial harm. However, the court declined the request to remove existing interviews, stating the matter would be addressed after replies are received from the defendants. The next hearing is scheduled for January 28.
The defamation suit, filed last year, stems from interviews Bhattacharya gave to Viral Bhayani and Film Window in which she claimed that Sanu mistreated her during pregnancy, including denying food and medical care. Sanu’s legal team maintains that the allegations are false and malicious.
The suit also cites their 2001 divorce agreement, which reportedly prohibited either party from making allegations against the other, and accuses Bhattacharya of breaching this contract. The couple, married in 1986 and separated in 1994, have three sons together.