New Delhi, March 30 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim relief to spiritual leader and kathavachak Aniruddhacharya Maharaj in a plea seeking protection of his personality rights, directing the removal of certain videos and links flagged by him from several online platforms, including YouTube. ​

A single-judge Bench of Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the interim direction after taking note of submissions that the petitioner’s name, image, and videos were being misused across social media and internet platforms, including through AI-generated content that allegedly portrayed him as saying things he never stated. ​

Appearing for Aniruddhacharya, counsel submitted that the content was adversely affecting his credibility and public standing, as it was being presented in a misleading manner that falsely suggested the preacher himself had made those statements. ​

During the hearing, Justice Gedela raised questions over the maintainability of the plea before the Delhi High Court, noting that the petitioner is based in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan. ​

The judge observed that content published on the internet is accessible globally and questioned the rationale behind approaching the Delhi High Court when other courts across the country are equally competent to adjudicate such issues.​

“Content on the internet can be viewed anywhere, even beyond geographical boundaries. Why should this court be approached in every such case?” Justice Gedela remarked, adding that courts in other jurisdictions, including Allahabad, Lucknow, and Kolkata, are also capable of passing appropriate orders binding on intermediaries like Google. ​

The Delhi High Court also made a broader observation on the role of public and religious figures, stating that as a religious leader, he is expected to remain above concerns of praise or criticism. ​

“You are a religious guru. You should ideally be above issues of recognition, criticism or reputation. If you are overly concerned about such matters, it may run contrary to the very philosophy you preach,” Justice Gedela observed. ​

The petitioner’s counsel, however, maintained that the nature of the content circulating online could diminish the seriousness with which people perceive him. ​

On behalf of Google, it was submitted that content found to be AI-manipulated or misleading can be taken down in accordance with applicable policies. ​

However, it was noted that some of the flagged links pertain to fan pages or videos containing the petitioner’s past statements, in which users have expressed criticism or raised questions, particularly regarding remarks on women and science. ​

Taking note of the submissions, the Delhi High Court directed that the specific URLs and videos identified by the petitioner be removed, while observing that a detailed order in the matter would be uploaded subsequently. The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 23.

–IANS

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