Mumbai: The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notices to Google, BollywoodTime and other websites after Aaradhya Bachchan filed a fresh plea seeking removal of misleading information about her health from several websites.
The 13-year-old daughter of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has sought a summary judgment in her case, which will allow courts to resolve civil cases quickly without requiring oral evidence.
Justice Mini Pushkarna, who presided over the brief hearing, acknowledged that certain defendants, referred to as “vitiators and uploaders,” are yet to make an appearance in the case, and consequently, have forfeited their right to defend.
The high court will next hear the matter on March 17.
In April 2023, the Delhi High Court had restrained various YouTube channels from disseminating false information about the minor’s health. The court had emphasised that every child, whether a celebrity’s offspring or not, is entitled to be treated with honour and respect. Circulating misleading information about a child’s physical and mental health was deemed completely impermissible in law.
The court had directed YouTube to immediately delist 24 identified videos containing false information about Aaradhya. YouTube was also instructed to provide the plaintiffs with details like contact information and email addresses of the defendants responsible for uploading the defamatory content.
The court had directed the Union Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) to ensure that the offending videos were made inaccessible on the internet.
