Allahabad High Court Orders Google and Meta to Remove Defamatory Videos Against Jagadguru Rambhadracharya
The Allahabad High Court has directed Google and Meta to delete objectionable videos targeting spiritual leader Jagadguru Rambhadracharya within 48 hours, following a petition alleging online defamation.
The Allahabad High Court has ordered Google and Meta to remove defamatory videos against spiritual leader Jagadguru Rambhadracharya within 48 hours.
In a remarkable decision against online defamation, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court issued an interim order on Saturday for Google and Meta to remove the allegedly defamatory and problematic content of videos circulating against the famous Ramkatha narrator and spiritual leader Jagadguru Rambhadracharya within 48 hours.
The order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Prashant Kumar in a hearing on a petition filed by Sharad Chandra Srivastava and others. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for November 11.
Petition Highlights Online Defamation
The petition said that one Shashank Shekhar who ran several channels on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram was actively uploading defamatory content against one Rambhadracharya, who was also the Vice-Chancellor of Jagadguru Swami Ram Bhadracharya Divyang University situated at Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh.
Even whilst there were repeated complaints from followers of Rambhadracharya, the videos were said to have remained accessible on social media platforms, thereby causing the petitioners to approach the court.
Court Directions
The High Court instructed the petitioners to submit URLs of the objectionable videos so that the videos could be removed forthwith by the platforms. It also went on to say that the objectionable content defamed the spiritual leader and also made fun of his disability, as Rambhadracharya has been blind since childhood.
Government's Response and Future Course of Action
The state government apprised the court that the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities had already taken cognizance of the matter and had issued a notice to Shashank Shekhar, making a direction that he shall appear before the commission on October 18.
The petition has also asked the central and state governments to establish regulations for social media platforms, and to ensure strict enforcement of these regulations because of the growing need to control the dissemination of defamatory and harmful online content.
