Delhi High Court Engages in Defamation Case Involving Union Minister’s Daughter

The Delhi High Court has requested the stance of Himayani Puri, daughter of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, regarding an activist's plea. The plea seeks the removal of a court order requiring the deletion of social media content linking her to the deceased American sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Justice Mini Pushkarna issued a notice to Puri following an application by Kunal Shukla, who sought to vacate the interim order made on March 17 and demanded Puri's reply.

The court planned to address both Puri’s application and Shukla’s appeal together on May 7, as they pertain to the same arguments. Previously, a division bench declined to consider Shukla's appeal against the take-down order, redirecting him to a single-judge bench. Shukla's claim centers around a gag order that he argues was issued without due notice, affecting his right to share purportedly interrogative content based on publicly available data.

The controversy began when the single judge mandated the removal of online content linking Himayani Puri to Epstein on March 17. Puri claims the allegations are unfounded and stem from personal and political malice, demanding damages, apologies, and retractions. She emphasizes her disconnection from Epstein, asserting the allegations are baseless, while media attention persists on the Epstein files documenting investigations into his criminal activities.