Delhi High Court orders removal of content infringing Alakh Pandey's rights
The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered the removal of online content deemed vulgar, commercially exploitative, or impersonating Physics Wallah founder Alakh Pandey. The suit sought protection for Pandey's personality rights against misuse of his image and catchphrase.
New Delhi – The Delhi High Court has ordered the takedown of online content found to be vulgar, commercially exploitative, or impersonating Alakh Pandey, the founder of edtech firm Physics Wallah. The interim order was issued as part of a lawsuit filed by Pandey to protect his personality rights.
The court directed intermediaries including Google, Meta, X, and Telegram to remove identified content. This includes sexually explicit stickers and GIFs, impersonation pages, and coupon-code scams falsely claiming association with Pandey. The suit alleged widespread misuse of his name, image, and catchphrase "hello bachho."
However, a YouTube video referring to Pandey as "scamwala" (scammer) was excluded from the interim injunction and will be considered separately. Pandey's counsel clarified that the objection was not to criticism or humor, but specifically to allegations of scamming.
The court's decision underscores the challenges of protecting personality rights in the digital age and mandates the removal of infringing material. It also requires the platforms to furnish subscriber information related to the identified content.