The North News
New Delhi, March 17
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered the removal within 24 hours of social media content linking Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s daughter, Himayani Puri, to convicted American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Justice Mini Pushkarna on Tuesday also restrained several users from publishing, circulating or sharing such content on social media until the next hearing, saying Himayani Puri had made out a prima facie case and would suffer “irreparable injury” if interim relief was not granted.
The court said that if users failed to delete the posts, the social media platforms concerned must take down the content or block access to it. At this stage, the order applies only within India. For content uploaded outside India, platforms were directed to block access to it for users in India.
The case has been listed for further hearing in August.
Himayani Puri, who has filed a civil defamation suit seeking Rs 10 crore in damages, has alleged that a “coordinated and malicious online campaign” falsely attempted to associate her with Epstein and his crimes. She has also sought an unconditional apology and retraction from the defendants.
Her lawyer, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, told the court that Ms Puri was an accomplished finance professional based in New York with a “global reputation” to protect. He described the allegations as “completely false, reckless and malicious” and argued they were the result of an “orchestrated attack” driven by “personal and political malice”.
He said several of the posts had been published and amplified by users describing themselves as journalists or content creators, and urged the court to order a global block on the material.
However, senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for Meta Platforms, argued that such blocking orders are generally enforced country by country. He told the court that the wider question of global blocking was already pending before a division bench of the high court.
One of the defendants argued that his video was protected under “journalistic freedom” and that free journalism should be safeguarded. The court said the issue required consideration and directed the defendants to file their replies.
In her plea, Himayani Puri said the allegedly defamatory campaign began around 22 February 2026 across platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and digital news portals. She said she was being targeted solely because she is the daughter of the Union petroleum and natural gas minister.
The lawsuit says the defendants circulated “baseless imputations” suggesting that she had direct or indirect business, financial or personal links with Epstein. It says the claims are “entirely false, malicious and devoid of factual foundation”.
Epstein died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Court records and investigative documents linked to him and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell have remained the subject of sustained public scrutiny and online speculation.
