On Monday, the Delhi High Court directed major social media platforms to take down videos that allegedly targeted Justice Amit Bansal and linked him to the Saket building collapse that resulted in six deaths. The petition filed by the Delhi High Court Bar Association alleged that the videos went beyond criticism and directly blamed a sitting judge for the Saket building collapse, while also making serious allegations against him. The controversy placed the spotlight on the rapid spread of judicially sensitive content on social media and the questions it raises about accountability on digital platforms.
The matter arose from a contempt petition filed by the Delhi High Court Bar Association against Dr. Kapil Kakar. According to the petition, videos uploaded by him on multiple social media platforms attributed responsibility for the building collapse to Justice Amit Bansal and characterised the incident as a consequence of the judge’s actions. The Association further alleged that subsequent videos contained additional accusations against the judge and questioned his conduct, while also promoting a web series titled Black Justice. It was argued that the videos were being widely disseminated across platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn, warranting immediate intervention to prevent further circulation.
The Division Bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna and Justice Madhu Jain questioned why intermediaries continued to host such content after becoming aware of it. Stressing that online platforms also carry responsibilities once objectionable material comes to their notice, the Court observed, “Once you get to know about something so absurd, why don’t you remove all of them?” The Bench further directed that the impugned content be removed forthwith and indicated that continued hosting of such material could have consequences. Counsel appearing for Meta, Google and LinkedIn informed the Court that the platforms would comply with the directions and remove the content. The Court also noted that blocking the concerned social media handle may become necessary.
The matter has been listed before the roster bench for further consideration.
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