Delhi High Court Orders Takedown of Defamatory Content Against Rajya Sabha MP

The Delhi High Court has ordered media houses to remove URLs of defamatory content against Rajya Sabha MP Venumbaka Vijaya Sai Reddy. The court emphasized that rumors damaging a person's reputation and dignity should not be disseminated. Media houses must comply within 10 days, or intermediaries like Google will act within 36 hours.

The Delhi High Court has directed several media houses to remove and block URLs featuring defamatory content about Rajya Sabha MP Venumbaka Vijaya Sai Reddy.

In an interim order, the court stated that if media houses fail to remove the URLs within 10 days, the MP can request intermediaries such as Google, Meta Platforms, and X to take them down within 36 hours.

The court expressed strong disapproval of spreading rumors, especially those affecting a woman's dignity and a person's reputation. Justice Vikas Mahajan emphasized that rumors must not be acted upon as information for public dissemination if they could cause harm.

The high court has issued summons to the defendant media houses and intermediaries, requiring them to file written statements within 30 days, with the next hearing set for November 25.

Reddy, represented by a team of advocates, has sought damages and a permanent injunction against the media houses for allegedly making false and defamatory statements about him on social media platforms.

The MP's legal team argued that the false statements have caused extreme mental distress and violated his right to reputation.

A media house's counsel argued that no defamation occurred as they were broadcasting a live press conference and emphasized the balance between privacy rights and press freedom.

The court, however, ruled that freedom of speech is not absolute, and granted interim relief, citing that the defamatory content could cause grave and irreparable harm to Reddy.

(With inputs from agencies.)