The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the removal of videos and content published by YouTuber Shyam Meera Singh targeting spiritual guru Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation. Justice Subramonium Prasad issued an interim order on the foundation’s lawsuit, restraining Singh from further publishing his allegations. The court emphasized that the continuous circulation of Singh’s YouTube video, with a “clickbait” title, was likely to harm the reputation of the Isha Foundation.
The video, titled “Sadhguru EXPOSED: What’s happening in Jaggi Vasudev’s Ashram?”, had garnered over 9 lakh views and more than 13,500 comments. The court deemed the title as attention-grabbing and concluded that Singh had based his allegations on “entirely unverified material.” It also restrained the public from sharing or uploading the video on social media platforms until the next hearing in May.
Isha Foundation’s counsel argued that the video, uploaded on February 24, contained false and defamatory claims, including unsubstantiated allegations of child sexual abuse. The video, Singh claimed, was based on emails allegedly sent by individuals associated with the foundation, but their authenticity was not verified. The counsel further argued that the emails were fabricated and false, emphasizing that the foundation’s reputation, built over decades, could not be tarnished in such a manner.
The court acknowledged that reputation is a vital aspect of an individual’s dignity and that a balance must be maintained between the right to freedom of speech and the right to protect one’s reputation. It directed social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Meta, and Google to remove the defamatory content, including any material stemming from the video.
