The Delhi High Court has issued an order for the immediate removal of online content deemed defamatory against Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation, published by YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh. The ruling, delivered on Wednesday by Justice Subramonium Prasad, comes as part of an interim decision in a lawsuit filed by the spiritual organization led by Jagadish “Jaggi” Vasudev, commonly known as Sadhguru.
Justice Prasad highlighted concerns over the potential damage to the foundation’s reputation caused by a video titled ‘Sadhguru EXPOSED: What’s happening in Jaggi Vasudev’s Ashram?’ which he described as “clickbait.” The court restrained Singh from further disseminating his allegations and extended this prohibition to the general public, barring the uploading or sharing of the video on social media platforms until the next hearing scheduled for May.
The contentious video, which has already accumulated over 900,000 views and received more than 13,500 comments, was critiqued by the court for relying on “entirely unverified material.” According to the foundation’s counsel, the video, posted on February 24, contained “false, reckless, baseless and per se defamatory” accusations, including allegations of sexual abuse against children within the foundation, purportedly based on unverified emails from individuals associated with Isha Foundation.
The legal team for Isha Foundation argued that the emails cited by Singh were fabricated and could not be used as a credible source to tarnish a reputation built over decades. In court, the foundation’s counsel emphasized that reputation is a crucial part of an individual’s dignity and that dismantling it through unverified claims is unacceptable.
Justice Prasad’s order also included directives to major social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Meta, and Google, instructing them to take down the video and any related content. The court underscored the importance of balancing freedom of speech and expression with the right to reputation, noting that the unchecked spread of the video could cause irreparable damage to the foundation’s public image, which monetary compensation cannot remedy.
