Delhi HC's directive to X, Google on Om Birla's daughter's defamation suit against posts on her UPSC examination

Anjali Birla, daughter of Om Birla, filed a defamation suit in the Delhi HC to remove social media posts that allege she passed UPSC due to her father.

Delhi hgh court on Tuesday ruled in favour of Anjali Birla, an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer and the daughter of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who had filed a defamation suit against social media posts that alleged she had passed the UPSC civil services exam due to her father's influence, reported PTI.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla's daughter, Anjali Birla filed a defamation suit in Delhi high court against social media posts claiming she passed UPSC due to her father (ANI)

In her defamation suit, Anjali Birla has sought the removal of all social media posts that allegedly claim her clearing the UPSC exam in first attempt only because her father is the Lok Sabha speaker.

The plea was mentioned for urgent listing by Anjali's counsel Rajiv Nayar. The case was heard on Tuesday by Justice Navin Chawla of the Delhi high court.

Delhi high court directed X (formerly Twitter) and Google to take down within 24 hours the social media posts alleging that Anjali Birla cleared the UPSC exam in her first attempt due to her father’s influence.

Justice Navin Chawla stated that the alleged content was posted without “due verification” and that the language being used was not bona fide.

In the suit, Anjali Birla, contended that various social media accounts and their posts were spreading misleading and defamatory information. She also alleged that dissemination of these allegations with no basis in truth, was meant to damage her reputation and standing through false narratives.

Unnamed sources told news agency ANI, that people posting false claims about Birla were targeting her as a means of creating controversy for the present government.

The suit also wanted to prevent the defendants from tarnishing the reputation of Speaker Om Birla.

The defendants in the case are Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Google Inc, X Corp (formerly Twitter) and John Doe (unnamed party).

Birla filed the case, through her representative, before the Inspector General of Police, Cyber Cell, Maharashtra, against several X account holders and others for offences punishable under sections 61, 78, 318, 351, 352, 356 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023) along with section 66(C) of the amended Information Technology Act (2008).

An FIR was also registered on July 5, 2024 under sections 78,79,318(2), 352, 356(2), 353(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act (2023) along with section 66 (C) of the amended Information Technology Act (2008) against the defendants by Maharashtra's cyber cell.

(with inputs from ANI)