New Delhi, March 17 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court granted interim relief to Himayani Puri, daughter of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in a defamation lawsuit aimed at eliminating online content that purportedly associates her with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted American sex offender. A ruling from Justice Mini Pushkarna ordered summons to several defendants, including major social media platforms like Meta Platforms, Google, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn, mandating them to respond within four weeks.

Justice Pushkarna also provided interim protection to Himayani Puri, prohibiting the defendants and unnamed “John Doe” entities from disseminating or sharing the claimed defamatory content on any platform.

During the proceedings, the Delhi High Court remarked that there was a prima facie case supporting the plaintiff’s claims, indicating that failure to curtail such content could lead to irreparable damage to her reputation.

As part of the ruling, Justice Pushkarna instructed those who posted the alleged defamatory materials, including videos and links, to remove them within 24 hours. Should they fail to comply, the relevant social media intermediaries are required to take down or block access to the content.

The Court clarified that the injunction would be applicable within Indian jurisdiction. It stipulated that content uploaded from IP addresses located in India must be removed, while links or URLs originating from outside the country should be made inaccessible within India.

The case is scheduled for further hearing on August 7.

Himayani Puri's petition seeks the removal of various digital content, including news articles and posts, that allegedly connect her with Epstein and his criminal activities.

The lawsuit claims that multiple posts have circulated since February 22, making allegations that she had direct or indirect financial, business, or personal ties to Epstein.

The claims, as per the plea, are entirely false, malicious, and lack any factual basis.

The plaintiff has further asserted that numerous unidentified individuals and social media platforms spread these allegations through edited videos, misleading captions, and manipulated thumbnails, intending to harm her reputation.

Puri is also seeking damages of Rs 10 crore and a permanent injunction against the defendants, including unnamed “John Doe” entities, for purportedly disseminating defamatory content against her.

This development occurs amid political turmoil in India following the release of documents related to investigations into Epstein in the United States. Opposition leaders, including those from the Congress party, previously called for the resignation of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri after his name reportedly appeared in the so-called “Epstein files.”

Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier in the U.S., died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking involving underage girls. His death was officially deemed a suicide. The controversy has gained renewed attention globally after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a law mandating the release of documents pertaining to the Epstein investigation.

In response, the U.S. Justice Department released over three million pages of records as part of an effort to maintain transparency after reviewing millions of pages of material collected during investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.