The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to grant a blanket interim injunction directing the removal of all online content allegedly defaming Aam Aadmi Party-turned-BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, holding that only a limited number of posts warranted interim intervention. Justice Subramonium Prasad directed the removal of five specific pieces of content, while observing that the remaining material did not merit such relief. The Court stated:
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“I have ordered the removal of five documents. Rest of the content is not defamatory.”
The suit was instituted by Raghav Chadha seeking protection against AI-generated deepfakes, manipulated videos, synthetic voice cloning, morphed images, fabricated speeches and other allegedly deceptive digital content circulating on various online platforms following his switch from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He contended that the content falsely portrayed him and infringed both his personality rights and reputation.
During the hearing of the interim injunction application in May, the Court had expressed reservations about the nature of the relief sought, observing that the grievance appeared to relate more to defamation than to personality rights.