Khan Sir, Anjana Om Kashyap settle 'star teachers' defamation suit in Delhi HC

The Khan Sir and Anjana Om Kashyap lawsuit is close to an end. On Wednesday, 4 November 2026, the Delhi High Court was told that the television journalist and the coaching teacher Faisal Khan, popularly known as Khan Sir, had settled the Rs 2 crore defamation suit she and TV Today Network filed over posts about her comments on "star teachers". Counsel for Kashyap told Justice Tushar Rao Gedela that the settlement also covers educators Babita Tyagi, Arvind Bhadauriya and Manish Yadav and the operators of two X accounts, and that the agreement would be signed in the next few days. A settlement with teacher Abhinay Sharma was still pending, and mediation with the channel 4PM News had failed, so the court asked both sides to try mediation once more.

For India's coaching-dependent students, this was more than a quarrel between two well-known names. The case began with a question many families ask: whether celebrity teachers with large online followings have turned exam preparation into a business. Kashyap's on-air remarks about "star teachers" and the commercialisation of coaching were followed by posts from several educators and accounts, which the suit said were defamatory.

The suit also raised a privacy issue. According to the plaintiffs, some posts disclosed details of the school attended by Kashyap's child. In July, Khan Sir's counsel agreed in court to remove from public platforms any disclosures about her children, including school details, according to reports of that hearing. The judge remarked, as reported, that one may be critical but criticism cannot be at that level.

Mediation, which avoids a full trial, has now worked for most of the defendants but not all. The court has not recorded any finding on whether any post was defamatory, and the allegations in the suit have not been tested at trial.

Peepals timeline: the debate on "star teachers" was aired on Friday, 29 May 2026. Kashyap and TV Today Network then filed the defamation suit seeking Rs 2 crore. On Monday, 8 June, the High Court declined to grant an interim injunction. On Thursday, 2 July, it sent the parties to mediation before a senior mediator, and Khan Sir's counsel agreed to take down any disclosures about her children. On Wednesday, 4 November, the court was told the dispute had been settled with Khan Sir and four other parties, about five months after the debate.

Short-term: The next step is the signing of the settlement agreement, which counsel said would happen in the next few days. The suit continues against those who have not settled, and the court has asked Kashyap and 4PM News to make one more attempt at mediation.

Long-term: The case is a reminder to educators who build large online followings that their posts are public speech, and that a remark about a critic's family can end up in court. It may also make coaching personalities more careful when replying to media criticism, and journalists more careful when discussing named teachers.

Who is affected: students who follow online coaching teachers for competitive exams; the teachers named in the suit; Kashyap and her channel; and anyone who posts about public figures' families online.

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