The Delhi High Court directed news channels and social media platforms to remove content alleging extra-marital affairs against YSR Congress MP Venumbaka Vijaya Sai Reddy. The August 8 interim order by Justice Vikas Mahajan aimed to curb the spread of unverified claims and safeguard Reddy’s reputation.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court issued a directive to several news channels and social media platforms to remove content containing defamatory allegations against Venumbaka Vijaya Sai Reddy, a Rajya Sabha MP from the YSR Congress Party. The interim order, handed down by Justice Vikas Mahajan on August 8, mandated the removal of videos and articles that presented unverified claims about Reddy’s personal life. The court’s decision aimed to address the spread of baseless accusations and protect Reddy’s reputation from further harm.
The Court’s decision was prompted by allegations of an extra-marital affair involving Reddy, which were circulated widely across news platforms and social media channels. The accusations not only involved claims of an affair but also suggested that Reddy fathered a child with the woman in question.
Additional rumors alleged the woman, a government employee, was granted unauthorized access to restricted areas during the COVID-19 lockdown, engaged in dubious land transactions, and was involved in financial exchanges with Reddy and her husband. Further accusations implicated Reddy in various scandals, including a narcotics incident and a liquor scam.
Justice Vikas Mahajan emphasized that the allegations were baseless and had the potential to tarnish both the reputation of Reddy and the dignity of the woman involved.
The Court highlighted the situation, stating-
“The plaintiff is a current Rajya Sabha member, and the reckless allegations mentioned above not only tarnish his reputation but also have the potential to negatively impact his long-established political career and standing.”
Directives to News Channels and Social Media Platforms
The Court’s interim order specifically instructed six news channels and several social media handles to remove the defamatory content. The channels named in the order include ABN Andhra Jyothi, Mahaa News, TV5 News, BIG TV, Aadhan, and Wild Wolf TV. These platforms were found to have hosted content that propagated the defamatory allegations against Reddy.
The Bench issued a stern directive, stating-
“Given these circumstances, it is deemed appropriate to direct defendants 1 to 6 to take down, remove, restrict access to, or block the URLs of the specified YouTube videos, Google posts, Facebook videos, and ‘X’ posts containing defamatory statements against the plaintiff within 10 days.”
The order also outlined that if these platforms fail to comply with the Court’s directive, Reddy would be entitled to seek intervention from social media intermediaries, such as Google, Twitter (now known as ‘X’), and Facebook, to ensure the removal of the offensive content.
- Reddy was represented by a team of advocates including Amit Agrawal, Sahil Raveen, Rahul Kukreja, Sana Jain, and Arjun Chhibbar.
- On the other side, ABN Andhra was represented by advocates Samarth Krishna Luthra and Chirag Kakkar, while Google was represented by advocates Mamta R Jha, Rohan Ahuja, Shruttima Ehersa, and Rahul Choudhary.
The Court’s order serves as a reminder that baseless rumors, particularly those that can impact the personal and professional lives of individuals, will not be tolerated.
