Court Orders Google and Meta to Remove Defamatory Videos Targeting Padma Vibhushan Spiritual Leader Rambhadracharya

Renowned Ramkatha narrator and Padma Vibhushan recipient Jagadguru Rambhadracharya has received court protection against defamatory content circulating online.

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court issued an order on Saturday directing both Meta and Google to remove allegedly objectionable videos targeting the spiritual leader within 48 hours.

A division bench consisting of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Prashant Kumar delivered this ruling while hearing a petition filed by Sharad Chandra Srivastava and others.

The court instructed the petitioners to provide specific URL links to the social media companies to facilitate the prompt removal of the offensive content. The case has been scheduled for a follow-up hearing on November 11.

According to the petition, an individual named Shashank Shekhar, who manages multiple channels across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, has been publishing derogatory and defamatory videos attacking Rambhadracharya, who currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of the Jagadguru Swami Ram Bhadracharya Divyang University located in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh.

Despite numerous complaints from Rambhadracharya's followers, the offensive videos reportedly remained accessible online, with the platforms taking no action to remove the content.

The petition also urged both central and state governments to develop and strictly implement regulations for social media platforms, emphasizing the necessity of preventing the proliferation of defamatory material online.

The petitioners argued that the content was not only defamatory in nature but also cruelly mocked Rambhadracharya's visual impairment, which he has lived with since childhood.

During court proceedings, state government representatives informed the bench that the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities had already taken notice of the situation and issued a summons to Shekhar, requiring him to appear before the commission on October 18.