Delhi HC Directs Facebook To Reveal Identity Of Person Behind Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Artist Subodh Gupta

The Delhi High Court has directed Facebook Inc which owns social media platform Instagram, to reveal the identity of the person behind an Instagram account, who made a series of anonymous sexual harassment allegations against artist Subodh Gupta recently.

The court has directed Facebook to furnish the information in a sealed envelope.

It may be recalled that Subodh Gupta had moved the High Court recently, stating that he was aggrieved by defamatory content on an anonymous Instagram account.

The court heard Gupta’s counsel and noted that no legal or other proceedings were initiated against Gupta in relation to the sexual harassment allegations made by the Instagram account holder.

The court held that the allegedly defamatory content cannot be permitted to be published in public domain without being backed by legal recourse.

Consequently, the court had passed an order directing the concerned Instagram account to restrain from posting any content pertaining to Gupta.

The court also directed Instagram LLC, Facebook Inc, Facebook Ireland Ltd, Google Inc and Google India Pvt Ltd to remove as well as takedown or block access to defamatory content pertaining to Gupta.

Instagram was also directed by the court to reveal the details of the person or entity behind the Instagram account in a sealed cover.

The court has also asked Gupta to communicate to Google Inc the URLs which contain defamatory content so that Google Inc would remove such URLs within 72 hours as well as block certain URLs of magazines and newspapers publications which appear in search results.

The matter is expected to be taken up next on November 18.