Delhi HC Orders Takedown Of Defamatory Posts Targeting Raghav Chadha

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the immediate removal of certain social media posts targeting Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, holding that the material was prima facie defamatory and contained obscene and explicit content.

The order was passed by Justice Subramonium Prasad on a civil suit filed by Chadha, who sought urgent relief against the circulation of allegedly defamatory, AI-manipulated and explicit content that he said had caused serious damage to his reputation.

Court Limits Relief To Five Posts

After examining the material placed before it, the court held that only five specific posts warranted removal, while declining to extend the order to the remaining content.

"There is no personality right involved. However, I have ordered the takedown of only five documents. Rest is not defamatory prima facie," the court observed, according to Live Law.

The court thus distinguished between content that amounted to actionable defamation and material that fell within the scope of permissible public commentary.

During the hearing, counsel for Meta Platforms argued that several screenshots relied upon by Chadha's legal team were merely newspaper reports or other innocuous material that did not justify takedown.

Chadha's Legal Team Alleges Coordinated Campaign

Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar, appearing for Chadha, argued that the posts were not isolated instances of online abuse but part of a coordinated and commercially backed campaign aimed at damaging the MP's reputation.

In a statement issued after the hearing, Chadha's legal team said the material before the court showed that "defamatory posts, by several social media accounts and influencers publishing paid content, engaged by Influencer Marketing Agencies, were disseminated across numerous social media handles within minutes, reflecting a concerted and organised effort to amplify false narratives and cause irreparable reputational harm."

Welcoming the order, Chadha's counsels described it as "an important step" towards ensuring accountability for coordinated online defamation and AI-generated misinformation.

"The order passed today by the Hon'ble Single Judge of the Delhi High Court is a welcome step as it directed the takedown of defamatory content against Mr Chadha, thereby protecting individuals from organised defamatory content on social media," the statement said.

The legal team further argued that the ruling reinforces the principle that freedom of speech cannot be invoked to justify paid and coordinated campaigns of defamation and character assassination.