Mumbai Court Orders Meta, Reddit to Remove Defamatory Content
A Mumbai court has directed Meta and Reddit to remove material deemed defamatory to actor Sayani Gupta, while allowing truthful content to remain.
The Mumbai City Civil Court has issued an interim order compelling Meta and Reddit to remove online content identified as defamatory to actor and filmmaker Sayani Gupta. The order also instructs Deccan Chronicle to remove similar material.
The directive stems from a 9 crore rupee defamation suit filed by Gupta against filmmaker Vinita Negi and others. Negi had accused Gupta's short film "Aasmani" of plagiarizing Negi's unfinished documentary "Prabha." Gupta has denied these allegations, labeling them false, misleading, and defamatory.
The court's order does not rule on the plagiarism claim itself. Instead, it focuses on distinguishing between defamatory material and "accurate and verified information." This presents a challenge for platforms like Meta and Reddit, requiring them to interpret and implement this distinction without a definitive ruling on the underlying plagiarism accusation.
The ruling places these platforms in a difficult position, as they must remove content classified as defamatory while preserving truthful information that they are not equipped to verify. This aligns with a growing trend in India where courts expect digital platforms to actively manage and remove unlawful content, often before a final legal judgment.
MediaNama has reached out to Meta and Reddit for comment on their implementation of the order and their process for differentiating defamatory versus truthful content. The case is next scheduled for hearing on October 12.