J&K Dy CM moves Delhi HC through defamation suit over objectionable online content

Jammu, Dec 2 J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary has moved the Delhi High Court through a defamation suit seeking removal of objectionable online content allegedly carrying sexual undertones and alleging his improper relationship with a woman.

The online content had found wide circulation, which prompted authorities in Jammu & Kashmir to reinvestigate the role of digital media and independent citizen reportage after the issue was raised in the Legislative Assembly.

Surinder Choudhary, a legislator and member of the ruling National Conference (NC), has sought a permanent and mandatory injunction alleging that there is defamatory content with sexual undertones on several social media platforms, including Facebook pages and YouTube channels, against him.

The matter was heard briefly on Tuesday by Justice Amit Bansal, who found significant gaps in the suit. The court recorded that no transcripts of the allegedly defamatory videos or recordings were placed on record, leaving it impossible to determine the nature of the content or assess whether defamation had occurred.

Justice Bansal said he was ‘puzzled’ while reading the petition, questioning how the court could reach any conclusion about the material without the relevant transcripts.

The Deputy Chief Minister’s counsel submitted that much of the impugned content was nearly two years old, and many of the URLs belonged to news agencies that had republished the social media material.

In response, the Court directed Surinder Choudhary to file detailed transcripts of the recordings and videos cited in his petition. The matter is now scheduled for further hearing on January 13, 2026.

Google LLC and Meta Platforms have been instructed to share information about the Facebook pages and YouTube channels that uploaded the disputed content, allowing the Deputy Chief Minister to implead them as defendants in the suit.

He defeated the then BJP president of J&K unit, Ravinder Raina, in Nowshera, assembly constituency of Jammu division, in the 2024 assembly elections.

Raina polled 27250 votes and lost to National Conference's Surinder Choudhary by a margin of 7,819 votes.

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