In a significant legal move, Jammu & Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary has approached the Delhi High Court to take action against several social media channels. He accuses them of falsely linking him to an audio conversation containing "sexual undertones."
Channels Amplify Fake Audio With Deputy CM's Image
The core of the complaint revolves around an audio clip featuring a conversation between two unidentified individuals. According to Choudhary's lawyer, Suhail Malik, multiple YouTube channels have been circulating this audio with a static photograph of the Deputy CM. This presentation deliberately creates the false impression that the male voice in the recording belongs to Choudhary.
Malik clarified that these are relatively small channels, each having fewer than one lakh subscribers. Despite their limited reach, the content is damaging. "An audio clip between two individuals is being circulated with his picture and passed off as his," the counsel stated, emphasizing the malicious intent behind the act.
Delhi High Court's Directives and Legal Action
Seeking urgent redressal, the Deputy CM's legal team petitioned the Delhi High Court to have the content removed. The court, presided over by Justice Amit Bansal, has issued crucial interim orders.
Justice Bansal directed tech giants Google (which owns YouTube) and Meta (which owns Facebook) to provide comprehensive details about the channels and pages disseminating the alleged defamatory material. The platforms must disclose:
- Names of the channels/pages
- IP addresses used
- All other available user information
This data will enable Choudhary's legal team to formally include the channel operators as parties in the lawsuit. The counsel has indicated that they intend to claim damages amounting to approximately Rs 2 crore for the harm caused to the Deputy CM's reputation.
Next Steps and Broader Implications
The court has scheduled the next hearing in this case for January 13. This legal step highlights the growing challenge public figures face from misinformation and defamatory content on digital platforms.
By seeking details from the parent companies of the social media platforms, the case also touches upon the accountability of intermediaries in policing content. The outcome could set a precedent for how similar cases of identity misuse and character assassination via social media are handled in the future, especially when targeting individuals in high public office.
