Delhi High Court Orders Removal of Defamatory Content Linked to Hardeep Puri's Daughter

Court Ruling on Defamatory Online Material

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court mandated the removal of online content that allegedly defamed Himayani Puri, daughter of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, by associating her with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Justice Mini Pushkarna specified that the takedown order would initially apply only within India, as the issue of global content removal is still under consideration by another bench of the High Court.

The judge instructed that any content uploaded from within India must be deleted, while material uploaded from outside should be restricted from access within the country.

The court warned that if the uploaders do not remove the defamatory videos and links within 24 hours, social media platforms must block the posts.

Himayani Puri has filed a defamation lawsuit seeking damages of Rs 10 crore and the removal of the content from various online platforms.

The court noted that a prima facie case had been established, indicating that failing to provide relief could lead to significant harm to her reputation.

During the proceedings, representatives for internet companies, including Google and Meta, contested the idea of a global takedown, arguing that the authority of Indian courts to enforce worldwide content blocking is still unresolved.

Himayani Puri's legal team contended that the allegations were unfounded and part of a deliberate effort to tarnish her reputation, emphasizing her status as the daughter of a Union minister.

The court opted not to issue a global blocking order at this time, stating it would revisit the request after hearing from all involved parties.

The case is scheduled for further discussion on August 7.

The term 'Epstein files' refers to a vast collection of documents, emails, and multimedia released by the U.S. Department of Justice, which detail the activities of Epstein and his connections with various public figures.

Among the released documents were email exchanges between Hardeep Singh Puri and Epstein dating back to June 2014.

The minister has clarified that his interactions with Epstein were unrelated to the crimes for which Epstein was convicted.