Court restricts order to India, global takedown issue still under consideration
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed major social media platforms, including X, Meta, Google, YouTube, and LinkedIn, to take down allegedly defamatory content linking Himayani Puri, daughter of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, to convicted American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Court orders takedown in India
A bench led by Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice to all parties and ordered the removal of such content within India while hearing a defamation suit filed by Himayani Puri.
The court clarified that the order currently applies only within Indian jurisdiction. Content originating outside India will not be removed globally but must be blocked from access within the country.
“The present injunction order operates within the Indian domain… defendants are directed to block access from being viewed in India,” the court said.
Defamation suit and arguments
Himayani Puri has filed a ₹10 crore defamation suit, seeking a “John Doe” order against unidentified individuals responsible for circulating the content.
Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for her, argued that the allegations were baseless and driven by malice.
He told the court that the claims — suggesting she had financial or personal links with Epstein — were “a figment of someone’s imagination” and alleged both personal and political motives behind the campaign.
Platforms oppose global takedown
During the hearing, senior advocate Arvind Datar, representing Meta, submitted that platforms can comply with blocking content in India but cannot enforce a global takedown.
The court noted that the issue of global removal is currently pending before a division bench.
Case background
According to the plea, defamatory posts began circulating in February 2026, falsely alleging that Himayani Puri had links to Epstein or his criminal activities.
Epstein, who was arrested on charges of sex trafficking minors, was found dead in a US jail in 2019.
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on August 7.
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