The Delhi High Court has directed the takedown of online material that allegedly defames Himayani Puri by falsely associating her with Jeffrey Epstein.
The order was passed by Justice Mini Pushkarna while hearing a civil defamation suit filed by Puri, who is the daughter of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. She approached the Court seeking urgent relief against various articles, posts, and videos circulating online that she claimed were baseless and damaging to her reputation.
Observing that a prima facie case of defamation was made out, the Court directed the defendants to remove the identified content within a specified time. It further clarified that if the original publishers fail to comply, intermediaries such as social media platforms must disable access to the material.
The Court noted that continued circulation of such allegations could cause serious and irreparable harm to the petitioner’s reputation, warranting immediate interim protection.
At this stage, the Court restricted the operation of its order to India. It held that content uploaded domestically must be taken down, while material hosted abroad should be blocked from being accessed within Indian territory. The broader question of directing a global takedown remains under consideration in related proceedings.
In addition to ordering removal, the Court also restrained the defendants from publishing or sharing any further defamatory content of a similar nature.
The suit stems from online publications and posts that surfaced earlier this year, which allegedly made false claims about links between Himayani Puri and Epstein—claims she has strongly denied as unfounded and malicious.
The matter is expected to be heard again as the Court continues to examine the scope of relief, including issues relating to wider enforcement beyond India.