Madras High Court Restrains Unauthorised Broadcast Of Taapsee Pannu Starrer 'Assi' On Release Day

The Madras High Court on Friday restrained the unauthorised broadcast of the Taapsee Pannu-starrer Bollywood film 'Assi' on the day of its release, granting ad-interim relief to its producer.

Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, by order dated February 20, 2026, observed that “in matters of this nature, it is likely that irreversible injury will occur unless unlawful broadcast is prevented.”

At the same time, the Court noted that “in view of the expansive nature of the relief claimed, it is possible that the legitimate business interest of one or more respondents may be affected.”

The Court therefore directed that the plaintiff shall indemnify in respect thereof. This means the producer would be required to compensate if any respondent's legitimate business interests are adversely affected by the injunction.

Super Cassettes Industries Pvt. Ltd., the producer of the film, had filed two applications seeking interim injunctions against Internet service providers and cable TV operators. As evidence of ownership, the plaintiff placed on record the CBFC certificate describing it as the producer. The promotional material revealed that the movie was slated for release on the same day.

Subject to the indemnification condition, the court granted ad-interim injunctions as prayed for in the applications until March 11, 2026. Notice has been issued to the respondents and private notice has also been permitted.