The Karnataka High Court has directed a city civil court to hear on May 8 a plea by author Chetan Bhagat for vacating an ex-parte temporary injunction restraining the sale of his book ‘One Indian Girl’.
Justice Ravi Malimath passed the order while disposing a petition filed by Mr. Bhagat and Rupa Publications Pvt Ltd.
Mr. Bhagat’s counsel had contended that the civil court had not considered the application, which had sought vacating of the injunction granted on April 19. The counsel argued that not getting a hearing has caused undue loss and hardship to the author and the publisher.
Counsel for Anvita Bajpai, an IIT and IIM graduate who is a writer, contended that he is prepared to defend the ex-parte temporary injunction.
As a result, on May 3, the High Court directed the civil court to hear both sides on May 8 on the application filed by Mr. Bhagat.
The civil court had issued temporary injunction on a suit filed by Ms. Bajpai, who alleged that Mr. Bhagat’s book was a copy of a short story from her book ‘Life, Odds, and Ends’.
