The Bombay High Court issued an interim order restraining filmmaker Santosh Kumar RS from making statements about the script of the Hindi film Dhurandhar  that were alleged to be defamatory by its writer-director, Aditya Dhar. Justice Arif S. Doctor issued the order while hearing a defamation case filed by Dhar against Kumar.

The Court observed that although Santosh Kumar, the defendant, had been served notice, no one appeared in court on his behalf.

After observing that Dhar had made a prima facie case, the Court granted him limited interim relief.

Interim restraint order issued by Court:

The court ordered:

"Until the next date, the defendant (Kumar) shall be restrained from repeating words set out in the suit, and all other allegations of a similar nature. Issue notice," the Court ordered.

The Court clarified that the injunction applies to Santosh Kumar, and it will stay in force until April 16, when the case will be heard again.

Case Background:

Aditya Dhar's defamation lawsuit is based on comments made by Santosh Kumar at a press conference held a few days after the release of the second part of the series Dhurandhar: The Revenge.

Santosh Kumar is alleged to have accused Aditya Dhar and the makers of Dhurandhar of copying his registered script titled D Saheb. After the press conference, Aditya Dhar sent Kumar a legal notice, denying any plagiarism and warning him not to make any further such statements.

When Kumar did not respond to the notice, Dhar approached the Bombay High Court seeking relief.

Dhar's petition seeks an injunction and damages for Kumar's allegedly false and defamatory remarks. Senior Advocate Birendra Saraf represented Dhar in court on 8th April 2026, and argued that Santosh Kumar's remarks were highly defamatory and biased.

He said:

"All I seek is, if he has a grievance about infringement, he himself said I am going to initiate legal proceedings. He can initiate legal proceedings and I will respond to the same appropriately. But in the meanwhile, he can't use such language."

Court finds case for interim relief:

The court observed:

"In my view, the plaintiff has made out a case for the grant of limited ad-interim relief," the Court concluded.

The Court granted interim relief to Aditya Dhar after noting that the allegedly defamatory comments had been widely circulated.

Case Details: Aditya Dhar V. Santosh Kumar IA(L)12102 of 2026