Telangana HC tells YouTube to take down defamatory content

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed YouTube India to ensure that no content causing harassment or infringing the privacy of any citizen is uploaded on its platform. Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar emphasised that defamatory content against an individual directly impacts personal rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The judge was presiding over a petition filed by realtor Moola Shiv Kumar, who described himself as a trainer and adviser in real estate on his YouTube channel. Shiv Kumar alleged that some people had created a YouTube channel named "Mimamsa victims" and began posting defamatory content against him and his family, aiming to tarnish their reputation.

According to the petition, the videos on "Mimamsa victims" allege that Shiv Kumar and his family have been involved in deceiving around 70 people, defrauding them of approximately ₹10.86 crore under the guise of real estate investments and training programmes. The channel's creators claimed they were cheated after spending crores of rupees to purchase lands based on his advice and highlighted pending cases registered against him.

Shiv Kumar contended that the allegations are unproven and that the cases mentioned are still pending before the court. He argued that the respondents were engaging in a propaganda campaign against him through the YouTube channel, causing undue harassment and damaging his reputation.

Considering these submissions, Justice Shravan Kumar directed YouTube India to take necessary precautions to prevent the uploading of content that causes harassment or violates an individual's privacy. The court also ordered the social media platform to delete the defamatory content related to Shiv Kumar.