New Delhi, July 1: The Delhi High Court granted partial relief to Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha on Wednesday, ordering the removal of five prima facie defamatory posts circulating on social media.
However, the court declined to issue an interim order for broader protection of his personality and publicity rights or to remove all other posts. Justice Subramonium Prasad stated that there appears to be no violation of personality rights at first glance.
The court remarked, “The issue of personality rights does not arise in this case. I have only ordered the removal of five documents. The remaining content does not seem defamatory at first glance.”
Raghav Chadha had filed a petition in the High Court, alleging that after leaving the Aam Aadmi Party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, his name, image, and identity were used without permission on social media. Several posts attempted to portray him as having “sold himself for money.”
The petition also claimed that AI-generated content, deepfake videos, morphed images, synthetic voice cloning, and fake speeches were circulated on social media, which he sought to have removed.
While reserving judgment on interim relief in May, the High Court had previously commented that at first glance, the case seemed related to criticism of political decisions rather than a violation of personality rights.
During the hearing, the court stated, “There appears to be no case of personality rights here. Your decisions in the political arena are being criticized.”
The court also noted that the line between criticism and defamation is very thin, but there seems to be no need for an interim stay based solely on personality rights in this case.
Senior advocate Rajiv Nair, representing Raghav Chadha, argued that some posts go beyond general criticism and are damaging and defamatory. He specifically referenced images depicting Prime Minister showering notes on Raghav Chadha, along with other morphed pictures.
Rajiv Nair asserted that such content is disgraceful and has caused serious harm to Raghav Chadha’s reputation. However, the court verbally clarified that this case seems more about defamation than personality rights.
Justice Subramonium Prasad also mentioned that if Raghav Chadha wishes to file a defamation claim, he may amend his petition accordingly.
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