Allahabad High Court orders Meta, Google to remove objectionable videos targeting Jagadguru Rambhadracharya within 48 hours

Court orders social media giants to take down defamatory content targeting Padma Vibhushan Jagadguru Rambhadracharya within 48 hours

PGurus Newsdesk

October 12, 2025

HC orders Meta, Google to remove videos on Jagadguru Rambhadracharya

The court urged stronger social media regulations to curb online defamation

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Saturday directed Meta and Google to take down allegedly objectionable and defamatory videos targeting renowned Ramkatha narrator and Padma Vibhushan awardee Jagadguru Rambhadracharya within 48 hours.

A division bench comprising Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Prashant Kumar issued the directive while hearing a petition filed by Sharad Chandra Srivastava and others, who alleged that multiple derogatory videos defaming Rambhadracharya were being circulated on social media.

The court instructed the petitioners to provide specific URLs of the objectionable content to the concerned social media platforms to facilitate their removal. The matter will next be heard on November 11.

According to the plea, one Shashank Shekhar, who operates several channels on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, has been uploading defamatory and mocking videos about Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, who is also the Vice Chancellor of Jagadguru Swami Ram Bhadracharya Divyang University in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh.

The petitioners alleged that despite complaints and objections raised by Rambhadracharya’s followers, the videos have remained online, and no action has been taken by the platforms to remove them. The plea also urged the central and state governments to introduce stricter regulations for social media companies to prevent the spread of defamatory and offensive content online.

It further noted that some of the content mocked Rambhadracharya’s disability, as he lost his eyesight during childhood.

During the hearing, the state government informed the court that the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities had already taken cognisance of the issue and issued a notice to Shashank Shekhar, asking him to appear before the commission on October 18.

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