The Delhi High Court on Monday asked Google to reply to the request of Aaradhya Bachchan to decide her petition about removing false information about her health, without waiting for replies from the YouTube channels that haven’t responded to her request.
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued a notice after Aaradhya Bachchan filed an application to move forward without the defendants’ presence due to their failure to appear, and asked for a judgment in her favor. The next hearing of the case is set for March 17.
The request for a “summary judgment” is related to an ongoing lawsuit involving Aaradhya Bachchan and her father. According to a Bar and Bench report, the court has responded to her plea for a summary judgment aimed at stopping the spread of false online information about the 13-year-old’s health.
April 2023 Court Order in the Case of Aaradhya Bachchan
In April 2023, the court issued an interim order barring several YouTube channels from posting false content regarding Aaradhya’s health, including videos falsely claiming she was “critically ill” or “deceased.” The court strongly criticized the dissemination of such misinformation about a child, calling it a “morbid perversity.”
The court ordered Google to remove specific videos and issued summons to the YouTube channels involved, such as “Bollywood Time,” “Bolly Pakora,” “Bolly Samosa,” and “Bollywood Shine,” after finding sufficient grounds to grant interim relief to prevent further damage. The plaintiffs argued that the videos, which falsely claimed details about Aaradhya’s health and personal life, tarnished the Bachchan family’s reputation. They stressed that the “Bachchan” name, symbolizing high moral values, was protectable as a trademark. The videos, they claimed, violated the minor’s privacy and were designed to attract shock value, attention, and profit.
Court Issues Notice To Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court has also issued a notice to Google following a petition concerning the dissemination of false information about Aaradhya Bachchan’s health. The next hearing is scheduled for March 17. In her latest petition, Aaradhya claims that despite the court’s April 2023 order, misleading content regarding her health has not been completely removed from social media platforms.
