Delhi HC orders takedown of posts linking Hardeep Puri’s daughter to Jeffrey Epstein

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted interim relief to Himayani Puri, daughter of Union Minister Hardeep Puri, directing the removal of social media content allegedly linking her to American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Justice Mini Pushkarna ordered multiple platforms, including Twitter, Google, YouTube, Meta and LinkedIn, along with unidentified entities, to take down or block access to the impugned content within India.

The court clarified that the present order would apply only within Indian jurisdiction, as the issue of a global takedown remains pending before a division bench. It directed that content uploaded within India or accessible through Indian domains be removed, while content originating outside India must be blocked from being viewed within the country.

Observing that a prima facie case had been established, the court restrained the defendants from publishing or circulating the allegedly defamatory material in any form. It further directed that if the content is not removed within 24 hours, intermediary platforms must step in to take down or restrict access to the posts, videos and articles. The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 7.

Himayani Puri has filed a ₹10 crore defamation suit, alleging a coordinated and malicious online campaign to falsely link her with Epstein and his criminal activities. She contended that the allegations are baseless and aimed at damaging her reputation, asserting that she is being targeted due to her association with a Cabinet Minister.

The plea states that since February 2026, misleading and defamatory content has been widely circulated across social media and digital platforms, causing sustained reputational harm. The court’s interim order allows the plaintiff to notify platforms about additional links carrying similar content, ensuring continued action against the spread of such material.