The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed Google and X, formerly known as Twitter, to remove defamatory social media posts about Anjali Birla, an Indian Railway Personnel Service officer and daughter of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, PTI reported.
The social media posts alleged that Birla passed the Union Public Service Commission examination for entry into civil services by engaging in corrupt practices and misusing her father’s influence. Some social media posts also falsely claimed that she entered the civil services without appearing for the UPSC examination.
Justice Navin Chawla directed Google and X to remove the posts within 24 hours till further orders. He said that the claims in the social media posts did not appear to have been made “after due verification”, The Indian Express reported.
The high court also sent notices to X, Google, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and unidentified parties named in the petition, directing them to present their stand within four weeks.
Birla’s counsel, Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayyar, told the court that she appeared for the UPSC exam and was selected in the consolidated reserve list of 2019. The consolidated reserve list comprises candidates “in order of merit below the last recommended candidate under each category”.
Birla joined the Indian Railway Personnel Service on June 26, 2021.
Earlier this month, Maharashtra’s cyber crime investigation agency filed a case against a social media account claiming to parody popular YouTuber Dhruv Rathee for making allegedly false claims about the Lok Sabha speaker ’s daughter.
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