In a significant legal relief for Raghav Chadha, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the removal of certain "obscene and explicit" social media posts that allegedly defamed him.
The order was passed after Chadha approached the High Court seeking protection against the circulation of defamatory and AI-manipulated content on social media platforms. In his petition, the Rajya Sabha MP argued that the posts were damaging to his reputation, violated his personality rights, and were designed to tarnish his public image.
The matter was heard by Justice Subramonium Prasad, who observed that the content highlighted by Chadha went beyond the scope of legitimate criticism and amounted to defamation. The court subsequently directed that the objectionable material be taken down.
The ruling marks an important development in addressing concerns over defamatory and manipulated online content, particularly in cases involving artificial intelligence-generated material.
Following the court's decision, Chadha's legal team described the order as a significant step toward protecting individuals from coordinated online defamation campaigns.
Senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing Chadha, said the order directing the removal of defamatory content safeguards individuals from organized attempts to malign their reputation through social media.
According to the legal team, the judgment reinforces the principle that freedom of speech cannot be misused to conduct orchestrated campaigns of defamation or character assassination.
During the proceedings, Chadha's counsels alleged that a coordinated and allegedly paid social media campaign had been launched against the MP through multiple professional agencies. They argued that the campaign was designed to spread false narratives and deliberately damage Chadha's public image and reputation.
The petition also claimed that AI-manipulated content was being circulated alongside defamatory posts, increasing the scale and impact of the alleged misinformation.
Representing Meta, counsel submitted that several screenshots relied upon by Chadha consisted of newspaper reports or material that was otherwise innocuous. The company questioned whether all the content cited in the petition could be classified as defamatory.
After considering the submissions, the High Court directed the removal of the specific content it found to be defamatory, while underscoring the distinction between protected criticism and unlawful defamation.
The order is expected to add to the evolving legal discourse surrounding online defamation, AI-generated content, and the responsibility of social media platforms in addressing harmful digital content.
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