Bollywood playback singer Kumar Sanu has scored a legal victory in a long-running personal dispute, after the Bombay High Court ordered his ex-wife Rita Bhattacharya to stop giving interviews about him.

The court granted interim relief in Sanu’s ₹50 crore defamation suit, restraining Bhattacharya from “giving any contentious interviews” or making statements about the singer and his family across media platforms.

Justice Milind Jadhav said the past interviews crossed the line of fair comment and contained a “personal tirade”. 

“I am of the opinion that at some places in the interviews which have been given by Bhattacharya, there is a clear personal tirade against Sanu which is prima facie qualified by words that are used therein,” the judge observed.

The 68-year-old’s lawyer told the court the statements had caused serious damage to his reputation and finances. 

While the court blocked any fresh comments, it refused, for now, to order the removal of existing interviews, saying that the issue would be examined after replies from the other side.

The dispute centres on interviews Bhattacharya gave to entertainment portals, where she alleged the Kehna Hai vocalist mistreated her during pregnancy and denied her food and medical care. 

The Saawariya singer’s legal team has described the claims as false and malicious.

The suit also points to their 2001 divorce agreement, which reportedly barred both from making allegations against each other. The case returns to court on January 28.