Railway Minister's son gets gag order against media, but they continue to report on rape and cheating case against him

Anisha Sheth | The News Minute | August 29, 2014 | 11.48 am ISTAlthough Railway Minister D V Sadananda Gowda’s son Karthik Gowda obtained a temporary injunction order restraining media from reporting on the complaint against him, it appears to have had no effect.However, despite the gag order, many of the media houses against whom the order has been issued have continued to report on the case after the order came into effect. According to documents accessed by The News Minute 16 newspapers and television channels have been temporarily “restrained” from printing, publishing or broadcasting anything in connection with the complaint filed against Karthik Gowda with the R T Nagar police in Bangalore. A woman named Maitreyi Gowda had filed a complaint with the police alleging that she and Karthik were married and that they had had a physical relationship. R T Nagar police have registered a case against Karthik under Sections 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.The news organizations include TV9 Kannada, Suvarna News 24x7, Kasturi News 247, Udaya, Janashri, Public TV, Vijaya Karnataka, ETV, Samaya News, The Times of India, Prajavani, Deccan Herald, Indian express Kannada Prabha, Udayavani, and BTV.Read: Rape and cheating case filed against Union Railway minister Sadananda Gowda's sonLawyers representing Karthik Gowda on Thursday night sent notices to 12 media houses owning a total of 15 newspapers and television channels between them, informing them of a temporary injunction that prevented them from publishing or broadcasting “any statements as against the plaintiff (Karthik Gowda) and his family members relating to complaint dated 27-08-2014 filed by the 1st defendant which creates an opinion in public.”The order also prevented Maitreya from making any statements against Karthik Gowda. Read: A day after filing rape and cheating complaint against “husband”, woman performs pooja in his nameThe order was passed by the 22nd Additional City Civil Judge, Bangalore, on August 28, 2014, and the “temporary injunction would be in force till next day”. The next date of hearing in the case is September 6. According to law, such an injunction order has to be sent either by post, or delivered personally to the parties or media houses concerned within 24 hours of the order being issued by a court.Sources told The News Minute that several channels had received copies of the order. One Kannada channel however, telecast a story about the gag order, but said that it had carried the report as it had not received a copy of the report.An injunction order is only applicable to the parties against whom the order is issued, and not to all media houses.