Relief for Congress: Karnataka HC sets aside lower court order blocking Twitter handles over copyright plaint

The order brought relief to the Congress as Rahul Gandhi has been leading a nation-wide yatra, and Monday’s order came as a shocker.

A division bench consisting of Justice G Narendar and Justice PM Desai passed the order on an appeal filed by the Congress after it offered to remove the offending content from their social media platforms by Wednesday afternoon.

Partially allowing the appeal,the division bench said that the matter is remitted back to the Civil court and the order passed by it will not come in the way of the plaintiff exercising its right over alleged copyright violation.

“We thank the honourable court for their wisdom and will comply with the directions of the court. We will continue to fight for the common people,” the Congress tweeted.

In its order of ex-parte injunction, the court had on Monday directed Twitter to take down three links from its platform, besides blocking the handles of the INC and the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

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Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Congress, argued that the ex- parte order had been issued without recording any urgency,as required under the law.

He admitted tha playing the 45 second music of KGF- chapter 2 film was a mistake, and they would not show the clip. But the party’s twitter handles cannot be taken off on those grounds, he said.

Singhvi however termed the order of the Civil court as disproportionate,in reference to the order for blocking the Twitter handles of INC and Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The suit was filed on November 2 and within a few days, the court had passed an ex parte order without issuing notice, he said.

The Bengaluru City Police had on Friday registered an FIR naming Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, its social media head Supriya Srinate and Rahul Gandhi on charges of copyright infringement by using movie songs in its Bharat Jodo Yatra without permission from the copyright owner, MRT Music.