The Delhi High Court has passed an interim order restraining astrologer Umang Taneja (defendant no.1) from publishing defamatory videos against plaintiff Trishla Chaturvedi, a well-known Vedic astrologer with a significant social media following.
Justice Amit Bansal, while hearing, noted that the videos in question contained prima facie derogatory content, including accusations of black magic, drug abuse (through morphed images), and disparaging references such as calling the plaintiff a “cheap guest.” The Court observed that such material appeared intended to tarnish the reputation of the plaintiff, who has over two decades of professional experience in astrology and a large digital presence with more than 1.29 million YouTube subscribers and over 834,000 Instagram followers
Taking note of the irreparable harm to reputation, the Court directed defendant no.2 (the platform hosting the content) to take down the defamatory videos/posts within 48 hours of service of the order. In case of non-compliance, defendants no.2 and 3 were instructed to ensure removal expeditiously. Further, defendant no.1 has been restrained from posting any fresh defamatory content against the plaintiff until the next hearing.
The matter has been listed before the Joint Registrar on November 6, 2025, and before the Court on January 20, 2026.
Appearances:
Petitioner: Ms. Swathi Sukumar, senior Advocate with Mr. Aditya Trivedi, Ms. Shivani Mishra & Mr. Ritik Raghuwanshi, Advocates.
Respondents: Mr. Aditya Gupta & Ms. Vani Kaushik, Advocates. for D-2.
