The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary to first place on record the transcripts of the allegedly defamatory videos and posts he wants taken down from various social media platforms.
Choudhary, who represents the Nowshera Assembly constituency and is a senior leader of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, has filed a civil suit seeking permanent and mandatory injunction against “objectionable content with sexual undertones” circulated on Facebook pages, YouTube channels and other platforms.
Justice Amit Bansal said the court was unable to assess the nature of the material because the plaint did not contain transcripts of the recordings referred to.
While going through the pleadings, the judge remarked that he was “puzzled” since no transcript of the alleged content had been submitted.
“How can the court determine if the content is defamatory or not without it?” he asked.
During the hearing, counsel appearing for several social media intermediaries pointed out that the plaintiff had impleaded incorrect entities and that the proper party for Facebook and Instagram would be Meta Platforms. The court then asked Choudhary’s counsel to implead the correct parties.
Justice Bansal also directed Meta Platforms and Google Inc to furnish details of the uploaders of the content flagged by the Deputy Chief Minister.
Choudhary’s lawyer told the court that most of the objectionable material dates back two years and that several URLs pertain to media reports.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on January 13, 2026. The court has directed the plaintiff to file the allegedly defamatory content along with complete transcripts before the next date.
