The Delhi High Court has passed a significant restraining order in favour of a 15-year-old girl who became the victim of online impersonation and harassment after unknown individuals created fake Instagram accounts in her name and circulated both actual and morphed objectionable images.
Justice Manoj Jain, while hearing the plea on Wednesday, directed Meta Platforms Inc.—the parent company of Instagram—to immediately block the fake profiles and provide the minor’s family with basic subscriber information, including IP addresses and other technical details, of the persons behind those accounts.
“The plaintiff has been able to make out a prima facie case for grant of injunction and an irreparable harm or loss will be caused to her in case no ex parte ad interim injunction is granted to her,” the court noted. It added that the balance of convenience was clearly in the favour of the minor victim.
The Court issued an interim restraint order against the unknown accused, preventing them from uploading or circulating any further objectionable material—whether real or digitally altered—related to the girl, until the next hearing on July 4.
The petition filed on behalf of the victim alleged that despite repeated attempts, the identity of the perpetrators remained unknown, as the fake accounts were being run anonymously. Her counsel argued that the impersonation followed the acceptance of a seemingly innocuous friend request, which was later used to deceitfully obtain sensitive images of the girl. These were then allegedly used to create fake profiles with the intent to harass, blackmail, and defame.
