The Delhi High Court has cautioned social media platforms against remaining passive when illegal or defamatory content is circulated on their services, saying they should not act like “spectators” until a court order arrives.
The observation came in a contempt petition filed by the Delhi High Court Bar Association. The case relates to a video posted on social media by Dr Kapil Kakkar after a building collapse in Delhi’s Saket area last month that killed six people.
According to the court record, the video criticised a High Court judge and levelled serious allegations, including calling the judge a “murderer” and accusing the judge of corruption and criminal links.
A bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna and Justice Madhu Jain said platforms must remove unlawful content promptly and that legal action is necessary against those who engage in defamatory and unruly conduct online.
The court also noted that fair criticism of court orders, individuals or institutions is permissible, but attributing corrupt motives or criminal background to judges without any legal basis cannot be treated as legitimate criticism. It directed YouTube, X, Meta and LinkedIn to block Kakkar’s accounts and delete the allegedly defamatory remarks.
