In a significant interim victory for Himayani Puri, the daughter of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the Delhi High Court has ordered the immediate scrubbing of online content linking her to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The court ruled on Tuesday that a prima facie case of defamation had been established, noting that the "balance of convenience" rested with the petitioner.
The court's directive requires that all "impugned content" flagged by Puri be taken down forthwith. Should the original posters fail to comply, intermediary platforms have been given a strict 24-hour window to ensure the material is removed within Indian jurisdiction. Summons have been issued to the defendants, including several social media giants, who must file their formal responses within a fortnight.
During the hearing, counsel for Puri described the posts as a "deliberate and orchestrated attack" designed to tarnish her personal and professional standing. Based in New York as a financial fiduciary and investor, Puri argued through her legal team that her reputation is her most valuable asset. "I am the victim of an attack because I am the daughter of a cabinet minister," her counsel submitted, suggesting the allegations were rooted in "political malice."
The proceedings also touched upon the complex legal frontier of "global takedown" orders. While Puri’s team sought to have the content deleted worldwide, senior advocate Arvind Datar and counsel for Meta resisted, noting that global enforcement remains a contested jurisdictional issue currently before a division bench. For the time being, the court has limited the injunction to content accessible within India, though it indicated that the possibility of a wider ruling remains open pending further arguments.
Representing some of the journalists involved, counsel argued that the posts were part of a broader, legitimate global investigation into Epstein’s network and that the content merely raised questions based on "publicly known facts." However, the bench remained firm on the need for immediate relief, prioritising the protection of the individual's reputation while the deeper legal questions surrounding journalistic freedom and global jurisdiction are debated in the coming weeks.
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