CHENNAI: Madras High Court on Wednesday extended the interim order restraining YouTuber Maridhas from publishing derogatory videos against News 18 Tamil Nadu TV channel and its employees. The court also granted liberty to the channel to move a separate petition for contempt if the videos uploaded by Maridhas defaming the channel are not removed as directed by the court.
According to the petitioner, the Youtuber has been posting videos against News 18 and its senior editor, spreading baseless allegations and defamatory remarks. The spreading of fake news has damaged the reputation of the organisation and the personal lives of people concerned, added the petition. The channel also sought `5 crore as damages from Maridhas for spreading false information.
Justice CV Karthikeyan directed the YouTuber to inform the news channel, 48 hours in prior, before uploading any content related to the channel and instructed him to also get their versions. On the contention of the petitioner that videos made against the channel by Maridhas being circulated on social media, the Youtuber argued that almost all the videos were removed. However, the judge directed the petitioner to file a contempt petition separately if he defied the court order on removing the videos. The judge recording the submissions adjourned the plea to August 25.