Court Asks X, Google To Remove Defamatory Posts Against Anjali Birla

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court ordered X and Google to remove defamatory social media posts about Anjali Birla, an IRPS officer and daughter of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The posts falsely claimed she used her father’s position to pass the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

The court issued an interim injunction requiring X and Google to take down the posts within 24 hours and barred anyone from posting, sharing, or communicating similar defamatory content. It also instructed that if Anjali Birla finds other similar posts, she should notify X and Google.

Earlier, Anjali Birla had filed a defamation suit seeking the removal of these false claims. Her lawyer, Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar, requested an urgent hearing, arguing that the posts were intentionally spreading false information and damaging her reputation.

Who are the defendants?

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

Birla, through her representative, filed a complaint before the Inspector General of Police, Cyber Cell, Maharashtra, against several X account holders, known and unknown, for commission of offences punishable under sections 61, 78, 318, 351, 352, 356 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (hereinafter referred to as BNS) along with Sec.66(C) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 as amended 2008.

Based on the complaint, 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 Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita Act, 2023, along with section 66 (C) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, as amended 2008, against X Corp and others by Cyber Cell, Maharashtra.