Court Bans Rapido Ad "Defaming" TSRTC

App-based bike taxi aggregator Rapido has been restrained from telecasting and promoting a commercial against the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), which featured Telugu film actor actor Allu Arjun, by a city court.

The Xth Junior Civil Judge of the City Civil Court, Nampally, on Friday restrained Rapido from broadcasting either the original or the modified versions of the ad film on its website or through the internet in any manner, ruling it as defamatory to the bus services run by the state-owned TSRTC.

The court also directed Google's online video sharing platform YouTube to block access to the original and modified versions of the commercial containing the lines identified by the plaintiff.

For the past month, Rapido has been widely airing ads in which actor Allu Arjun is seen suggesting that it is uncomfortable and dangerous to travel in TSRTC buses by directly showing a TSRTC bus which was hired by Rapido for the commercial.

Upon being issued a notice by the TSRTC, Rapido slightly modified the ad film, but continued to display the TSRTC bus.

Since they refused to stop airing the ads on various channels and via YouTube, TSRTC approached the court for relief.

Senior counsel K Vivek Reddy appeared for the TSRTC and argued that while Rapido was surely entitled to promote its services, it could not do so by making defamatory statements about the TSRTC & public transport.

He contended that the TSRTC was a responsible state-run corporation which took several precautions for the safety of its passengers, and that it was against the law to make such false and demeaning statements about it.

The court then gave its ruling directing Rapido to stop airing the defamatory ad films.

TSRTC Managing Director V C Sajjanar, reacting to the court order, said that the TSRTC was a state-run decades old corporation serving the transportation needs of lakhs of people each day.

"The corporation is a social asset, and everyone should treat it as their own and help maintain its smooth functioning. No one should defame it in any manner whatsoever," he said.