New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from Google on a plea filed by Aaradhya Bachchan, grand daughter of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and daughter of actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan seeking a “summary judgment” in her pending lawsuit filed by her and her father over circulation of misleading information about her.
In a summary judgment, civil cases can be quickly decided by a court without recording oral evidence.
What did Aaradhya seek?
Justice Mini Pushkarna issued notice on Aaradhya’s application seeking her petition be decided ex-parte since the defendant YouTube channels, accused of misleading content on her health, should be decided without hearing them as they were not responding to her plea.
The High Court posted the matter for further hearing on March 17.
High Court earlier passed an interim order
The High Court had on April 20, 2023 passed an interim order completely restraining certain YouTubers, who were accused of spreading misleading information on Aaradhya’s physical health, from disseminating on any platform available across the internet relating to the mental or physical health. It had also issued summons on the lawsuit to the YouTube channels in question, saying a prima facie case was made out for grant of interim relief to prevent further prejudice.
High Court earlier directed Google to immediately take steps to deactivate URLs
The High Court had further directed Google to immediately take steps to deactivate the URLs, contained in the plea of Aaradhya and her father Abhishek, spreading rumours about her well-being. It had also directed the respondent YouTubers not to create, publish, upload or disseminate any videos which are identical or similar in content to the videos forming subject matter of the plea of Aaradhya and her father and related to her physical or mental condition.
Every child entitled to be treated with honour and respect, irrespective of whether child of celebrity or common person: HC
The High Court, while noting that every child is entitled to be treated with honour and respect, irrespective of whether the child is a child of celebrity or of common person, had said, “Though this is not the first time that such misleading information is being celebrated with respect to celebrities, where the information relates to a child it reflects morbid perversity with complete apathy to the child in question.”
Aaradhya and her father Abhishek had moved the High Court contending that though she is a healthy school going girl, however, certain miscreants are circulating videos on YouTube spreading rumours about her health and life.
