Why Did Karan Johar Sue CarryMinati And What Is Court’s Verdict
Filmmaker Karan Johar has prevailed in a defamation lawsuit against popular YouTuber Ajey Nagar, better known as CarryMinati, with a Mumbai court issuing a significant interim order in his favor.
The dispute arose from a roast video uploaded on CarryMinati’s YouTube channel, titled Coffee With Jalan, which parodied Johar’s well-known talk show Koffee With Karan. According to Johar’s legal petition, the content featured abusive language and direct personal attacks on him, while also ridiculing aspects of Bollywood’s nepotism debate. The video, which garnered millions of views before its removal, prompted Johar to argue that it severely damaged his reputation and the professional standing he has cultivated over many years in the industry.
On February 9, Civil Judge Pandurang Bhosale of the Mumbai court granted an ad-interim injunction. The order restrains CarryMinati (Ajey Nagar), his manager Deepak Char, and associated parties—including One Hand Clap Media Pvt Ltd—from creating, uploading, posting, or circulating any further defamatory, vulgar, abusive, or objectionable material targeting Johar across any social media platforms.
The judge observed that prima facie evidence indicated defamatory statements and vulgar language had been used against the plaintiff. The court further directed social media intermediaries, including Meta Platforms (parent company of Instagram and Facebook), Google (YouTube’s owner), and others, to promptly remove the flagged videos, associated URLs, and prevent their re-upload or dissemination through clips, reels, or any other format. This included John Doe orders to cover unidentified individuals who might attempt to spread similar content.
Johar contended that even after the original video’s takedown, short excerpts continued to circulate widely, exacerbating the harm to his image. Represented by DSK Legal, he emphasized the need for urgent relief to curb ongoing reputational damage.
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CarryMinati’s legal representatives countered that the contentious video had already been voluntarily deleted, asserting no further basis existed for the suit and suggesting Johar had acted hastily without allowing an opportunity for response or clarification.
Despite this defense, the court prioritized the interim measures to halt potential additional harm while the case proceeds.
The ruling underscores the growing intersection of online satire, freedom of expression, and legal accountability in India’s digital landscape, particularly when celebrity figures face targeted online criticism.