A Mumbai City Civil Court told Meta and Reddit to remove defamatory posts about actor Sayani Gupta, but leave factual ones online. This interim order puts platforms in an impossible spot, asking them to determine the veracity of plagiarism allegations before a court has ruled. The ruling forces Meta and Reddit to choose between over-censorship or risking non-compliance on an unadjudicated claim.
How We Got Here
The Mumbai court's directive sits within a trend of Indian courts narrowing the operational space for online platforms. This follows a June ruling by the Delhi High Court stating platforms cannot wait for court orders, mandating action on unlawful content within 24 hours of awareness.
The Numbers
- The ₹9 crore defamation suit by Sayani Gupta targets allegations her short film 'Aasmani' plagiarised Vinita Negi’s documentary 'Prabha'.
- Additional Sessions Judge Shudhirkumar Murlidharrao Bukke issued the interim order on September 4.
- The court explicitly stated that defendant Negi has a right to take legal action and "publish any contents based on facts."
- A hearing to establish the plagiarism claim is scheduled for October 12, prior to which platforms must enforce the content distinction.
- MediaNama has tracked four similar court orders in the last 18 months, including blocking critical YouTube videos for Sadhguru and Motorola.
What Happens Next
🇮🇳 Why This Matters for India
For Indian social tech founders building new platforms, this ruling sets a high bar for content moderation liability and platform responsibility in user-generated content.
The Take
The court is effectively forcing platforms to act as judges of truth on complex claims, which they lack the mandate and tools to do. This will inevitably lead to over-censorship, with the biggest losers being user-generated content and platform innovation in India.
Source:
MediaNama ↗