Court orders civil prison for Power TV MD in IPS Ravikanthe Gowda’s case

Bengaluru

A Bengaluru Rural court on January 6 ordered the detention of Power TV’s Managing Director in civil prison for three months for wilfully violating a court injunction that barred the channel from airing defamatory content against senior IPS officer Dr B R Ravikanthe Gowda.

In a detailed order, the Principal Senior Civil Judge, Bengaluru Rural District, Abdul Saleem, held that Power TV (Power Smart Media Private Limited), represented by its Managing Director Rakesh Sanjeeva Shetty, had deliberately disobeyed an interim order of temporary injunction passed on September 8, 2023. The court found that despite having clear knowledge of the injunction, the channel went ahead and broadcast derogatory programmes targeting the IPS officer.

Allowing the application filed under Order 39 Rule 2A read with Section 151 of the Civil Procedure Code, the court ruled that the respondent had committed a wilful breach of the injunction and directed that he be detained in civil prison for three months, subject to the petitioner depositing the subsistence allowance as fixed by the State government. The matter has been posted on January 31, 2026, for deposit of the allowance.

The injunction had restrained Power TV and other defendants from broadcasting, telecasting, publishing or circulating any content that was defamatory, unverified or negatively impacted the image and reputation of Dr Ravikanthegowda, who is an IPS officer. However, the court noted that Power TV aired promos and programmes in September 2023 referring to him as “Dushta IPS Adhikari” and portraying him in a negative and defamatory manner.

The court relied on photographs and video recordings produced by the petitioner, including a pendrive containing footage of the programme titled “Power Breaking” aired on September 23, 2023. The visuals showed the IPS officer’s photograph in uniform along with derogatory captions in Kannada. The court observed that the respondent neither denied the broadcast nor disputed the contents placed on record.

Importantly, the court rejected the defence that contempt proceedings could not be initiated until the main suit was finally decided. Citing Supreme Court and Karnataka High Court judgments, the judge held that even an ex parte interim injunction is binding and must be obeyed so long as it remains in force.

The court also recorded that the respondent had full knowledge of the injunction, having appeared through counsel in the civil suit soon after the interim order was passed. Despite this, the broadcasts continued, amounting to wilful disobedience proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Dr Ravikanthegowda had filed the original suit seeking a permanent injunction, an unconditional apology and ₹20 lakh as damages for defamation. The civil suit is still pending, while Monday’s order deals specifically with the violation of the interim gag order.

The ruling is being seen as a strong message on compliance with judicial orders, particularly in cases involving media trials and reputational harm.