New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani on Tuesday said the Delhi High Court’s direction to take down social media posts linking Himayani Puri, daughter of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, to American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was a "vindication" against a defamatory campaign targeting her.
The Delhi High Court granted interim relief to Himayani Puri and directed social media intermediaries, including X, Google, YouTube, Meta and LinkedIn, as well as unidentified “John Doe” entities, to remove allegedly defamatory posts and URLs within 24 hours.
Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing Himayani Puri, said the court’s order establishes that the online allegations were part of an unfounded and malicious attempt to tarnish her reputation.
“I would not say it's a relief, it's a vindication. Somebody is conducting a scurrilous campaign against somebody who has nothing to do with what they are trying to suggest,” he told reporters.
“The Delhi High Court has directed that all URLs containing defamatory content linking her to Jeffrey Epstein must be taken down within 24 hours,” he added.
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued the direction while hearing a defamation suit filed by Himayani Puri seeking removal of content that allegedly links her to Epstein or his criminal activities.
According to the plea, several online posts falsely claimed that she had financial or network associations with Epstein, allegations she termed completely baseless and defamatory.
The petition sought directions to intermediaries such as Google, X, Meta and LinkedIn to remove the posts and ensure that similar defamatory content is taken down when brought to their notice.
Apart from seeking removal of the content, Puri has also demanded Rs 10 crore in damages and a permanent injunction restraining the defendants from publishing or circulating any material linking her to Epstein.
The High Court granted interim relief by directing the immediate removal of the disputed posts while the matter remains under consideration.
The defamation suit is expected to come up for further hearing before the court on Wednesday.
