Interlocutory injunctions to restrain defamatory publications are governed by the same equitable principles as all interlocutory injunctions (serious question, irreparable harm, balance of convenience), not by special defamation-specific rules. The Polly Peck principle applies at the interlocutory stage: where particular defamatory imputations fall within the common sting of broader allegations that the defendant has shown reasonable grounds to justify, the failure to separately justify those particular imputations does not warrant an injunction. A bare assertion of intention to plead justification is insufficient, but detailed evidence showing reasonable grounds for the defence weighs heavily in the balance of convenience, particularly where the subject matter is of public interest.
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