King Stubb & Kasiva Secures Decisive Ad-Interim Injunction for Allcargo Chairman Mr. Shashi Kiran Shetty in High-Profile ‘Ashirwad’ Malicious Falsehood Suit

In a significant victory protecting the fundamental right to privacy and dignity, law firm King Stubb & Kasiva (KSK) has successfully obtained a sweeping ad-interim injunction from the High Court of Judicature at Bombay on behalf of Mr. Shashi Kiran Shetty, Chairman of the Allcargo Group.

The decisive order, passed on 24th July 2026 by Hon’ble Justice Arif S. Doctor, restrains Scoopwhoop Media Pvt. Ltd. and several other media platforms from publishing, printing, or disseminating sensationalist content characterizing Mr. Shetty’s family residence, “Ashirwad,” as “cursed,” “haunted,” “ill-omened,” or “unlucky”.

The Background: Sensationalism vs. Privacy

The dispute centers around “Ashirwad,” a property originally owned by the late Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna, which Mr. Shetty subsequently purchased. Although Mr. Shetty demolished the original structure and constructed a completely new home for his family’s exclusive use, he chose to retain the historic name “Ashirwad”.

Despite the complete reconstruction, various media entities continuously published articles, YouTube videos, and social media posts baselessly branding the new family home as “haunted” or “cursed”. This relentless and false characterization was not only per se an occultist and a malicious falsehood, but it severely impinged upon Mr. Shetty and his family’s fundamental right to live with dignity and privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The Court’s Decisive Ruling

Finding the publications to be “wholly unjustified and in the nature of creating sensationalism,” Hon’ble Justice Arif S. Doctor ruled that the material was prima facie defamatory. The Court noted that the articles plainly suggested the Plaintiff and his family were living in a haunted house, causing unwarranted harm for no fault of their own. Crucially, the Court observed that none of the responding media entities even attempted to justify or defend their offending publications.

The Bombay High Court granted immediate relief, issuing a mandatory injunction directing the defendants to forthwith take down all existing offending publications from their hosted URLs. Furthermore, during the proceedings, Defendant No. 4 (Rajshri Entertainment) voluntarily assured the Court that they would remove their offending video, demonstrating the immediate impact of the litigation.

The formidable legal strategy was spearheaded by Dr. Birendra Saraf, Senior Advocate, who powerfully argued the matter before the Court. He was instructed by a comprehensive King Stubb & Kasiva (KSK) team comprising: