Puri’s daughter moves HC, seeks takedown of defamatory content

UNion government minister Hardeep Puri’s girl, Himayani Puri, on mon filed a traducement accommodate in the Delhi High Court seeking a takedown of allegedly defamatory content including reports, posts, videos and other material linking her to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.In her suit seeking ₹10 crore in damages, Puri has sued 14 individuals and entities including YouTube channel Jana Gana Mana 24*7, The Rooster News, Bolta Hindustan, and John Doe parties (unknown persons). In the suit, which is likely to be listed on Tuesday, she has also urged the court to restrain the defendants from publishing more material of the kind.The suit, settled by Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and filed through advocate Shantanu Agarwal, stated that starting February 2, a series of false and misleading, defamatory posts and articles, were published and amplified across social media and intermediary platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, digital news portals, blogs and other web based publications.Terming the allegations false, Puri stated in her suit that the unfounded claims were strategically propagated through sensationalist and manipulative formats, including edited videos, misleading captions and doctored thumbnails, designed to maximise public outrage.She alleged that she was being targeted in a coordinated and motivated manner with the clear intention of maligning and discrediting her solely because she is the daughter of a Union minister.“It is only because Mr Hardeep Singh Puri is currently a senior member of the Union Cabinet that his daughter, the plaintiff, who is an exceptionally accomplished and self-reliant professional, is being viciously attacked. The defamatory content has been viewed and shared by millions worldwide, including in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and remains accessible, causing ongoing and irreparable injury to the Plaintiff’s reputation, professional standing, and personal dignity,” the suit stated.She added that in view of the widespread and continuing publication, she had issued a cease-and-desist notice on March 6, calling upon the parties to take down the content and refrain from further defamatory publication within 72 hours. However, they failed to comply and have continued to circulate, host and amplify the material.Across the world, politicians, celebrities and members of royal families have been drawn into controversy after the US Justice Department published a new cache of nearly three million documents in January related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.