New Delhi, April 17 The Delhi High Court has granted an ex parte ad interim injunction restraining certain anonymous social media accounts and other entities from publishing or circulating defamatory and communally provocative content against two advocates, observing that the impugned material was “extremely derogatory” and capable of causing irreparable harm to their reputation.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad passed the order in a civil suit filed by the plaintiffs -- a Supreme Court lawyer with nearly two decades of experience and his spouse, also an advocate with a background in public policy and former association with a major tech company -- seeking permanent and mandatory injunction along with damages against X Corp and other defendants.
The plaintiffs alleged a coordinated campaign by anonymous handles and unidentified persons to defame them through false, malicious and inflammatory posts.
In its order, the Delhi High Court observed that the plaintiffs had made out a prima facie case, adding that the balance of convenience lay in their favour and that continued circulation of the content would result in “irreparable injury which cannot be compensated in terms of money”.
“This Court has gone through the tweets. In the opinion of this Court, the tweets are communally provocative, profane and vulgar in nature which affects the dignity and personal lives of the Plaintiffs,” Justice Prasad observed.
The judgement further said that “no human being with dignity and self-respect can live peacefully and with head held high if such scandalous, vulgar posts are circulated against them amongst the public at large”.
The plaintiffs alleged that anonymous accounts operating on the platform X (formerly Twitter), along with coordinated troll networks, were engaged in a sustained campaign of defamatory and malicious content targeting them.
It was contended that the posts were not only false and misleading but also communally inflammatory, making baseless allegations of professional misconduct and referring to their personal lives with the intent to incite hatred and harassment.
Taking note of the material on record, the Delhi High Court observed that several posts contained “statements that can be construed as communally inflammatory” and appeared to be part of a coordinated campaign driven by opposing political inclinations.
Justice Prasad also expressed concern over threats contained in the content, noting that some posts included “threats of physical and sexual violence”, which had garnered significant public attention due to their provocative language.
Highlighting the need to balance free speech with the right to reputation, the Delhi High Court said that “reputation is an integral part of the dignity of each individual” and forms a component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Accordingly, Justice Prasad restrained the defendants, their agents and any persons acting on their behalf from publishing, reposting or disseminating any defamatory, false, misleading or derogatory content concerning the plaintiffs.
It directed the anonymous defendants to remove and take down the impugned posts and related content from the platform X and any other platforms within three days.
X Corp was also directed to disable access to such content and prevent further dissemination of identical or similar material.
The Delhi High Court further ordered that any member of the public shall also refrain from uploading the same content on social media platforms till the next date of hearing.
It directed the plaintiffs to comply with procedural requirements under the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) within four days and listed the matter for further hearing on July 17, 2026, while the suit has been scheduled before the Joint Registrar on May 28, 2026.
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