Delhi HC reserves order on plea against fake posts linking judges to London Badminton event; directs takedown, seeks subscriber details

The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved its order on a petition filed by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) seeking action against social media posts and online publications allegedly spreading false claims that judges of constitutional courts, Union ministers and members of the executive participated together in a badminton tournament in London.

The Delhi High Court on Friday reserved its order on a petition filed by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) seeking action against social media posts and online publications allegedly spreading false claims that judges of constitutional courts, Union ministers and members of the executive participated together in a badminton tournament in London. While reserving orders, Justice Tejas Karia directed social media intermediaries and digital platforms to take down the impugned content, furnish subscriber details of accounts responsible for uploading and disseminating the posts, and directed the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to examine the matter and take appropriate action in accordance with law.

For the Petitioner, Senior Advocate Apoorv Kurup and Advocate Rajat Nair appeared, while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Union of India, along with Central Government Standing Counsel Ashish Dixit. The Court was informed that a misinformation campaign was being carried out through social media posts alleging that around 75 judges, including senior members of the judiciary, and Union ministers had travelled to London to participate in a badminton tournament at public expense. The petitioner contended that the allegations were false, malicious and intended to tarnish the image of the judiciary.

According to the petition, the controversy relates to the 2nd International Bar & Bench Badminton Championship held in London on June 7, 2026. BAI stated that photographs from the All India Judges' Badminton Championship held at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi on November 29, 2025 were wrongly circulated online and falsely projected as photographs from the London event.

The petition further stated that despite the claims having been debunked by the PIB Fact Check Unit, the allegedly false content continued to be circulated on various social media platforms. During the hearing, the Union of India placed on record a statement made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta clarifying the factual position. The statement said that photographs being circulated on social media showing the Chief Justice of India, Justice Vikram Nath, Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kiren Rijiju playing badminton in London were misleading.

According to the statement, the photographs were actually taken during a national-level Bar and Bench badminton tournament held at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi on November 29, 2025, where judges and lawyers from various High Courts had participated. It stated that on the inaugural day, a ceremonial match was played by the Chief Justice of India, Justice Vikram Nath, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kiren Rijiju. The statement further clarified that the Chief Justice of India never participated in any badminton tournament or sporting event in London. It said the Chief Justice had visited London on an official trip for a few days, during which he met the Chief Justice of England and Wales, attended official functions and addressed events relating to arbitration law.

The Centre also asserted that neither Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal nor Kiren Rijiju visited London during the relevant period. It is termed as "absolutely false" the allegation that the Law Minister had travelled to London with 75 judges. According to the government's statement, only two judges from the Allahabad High Court had visited London in their personal capacity. The Centre further stated that fake news based on an unrelated sporting event in Delhi was being circulated to tarnish the image of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of India and judges of various High Courts.

The petition seeks directions to the Union Government to invoke powers under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the rules framed thereunder for identification of the originators of the alleged fake news and for taking action against those responsible for creating and circulating the content. Earlier in the day, Senior Advocate Apoorv Kurup mentioned the matter for urgent hearing, submitting that despite fact-checks and official clarifications, the false narrative continued to spread widely on social media platforms. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also informed the Court that the fake news was proliferating across multiple platforms and required immediate intervention.

After hearing the parties, the High Court reserved its order while directing removal of the impugned content, disclosure of subscriber information by intermediaries and examination of the matter by MeitY in accordance with law. (ANI)