Delhi High Court Orders Removal of Malicious Amul Misinformation Online
The Delhi High Court has issued a directive to take down multiple social media posts and videos that wrongly associated Amul, India's prominent dairy brand, with cow meat. The interim order, passed by Justice Jyoti Singh, identified the content as disparaging and malicious, aimed at harming Amul's corporate image.
The lawsuit was initiated by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) along with the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, the entities behind the Amul trademark. They argued that the misleading videos on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X misused digital editing to falsely link Amul signage with images of 'frozen buffalo meat.' This content encouraged consumers to boycott Amul products, threatening the brand’s longstanding market position since 1958.
The court noted the inflammatory nature of captions accompanying the content, which were crafted to provoke public outrage by exploiting sensitive cultural issues related to livestock processing in India. Justice Jyoti Singh highlighted the potential for irreparable damage due to the posts’ broad reach and rapid spread on social media.
To enforce the ruling, the court established a 36-hour deadline for the content creators to remove the offending material. If they fail to do so, the hosting social media platforms are required to delete the content within 36 hours of notification by Amul's legal team. Additionally, the court demanded disclosure from Meta, Google, and X concerning subscriber data and account details for the accounts involved, including 'Bharatvasi6' and 'DhenuTV,' within four weeks.
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the court granted the plaintiffs an exemption from mandatory pre-institution mediation. Defendants have been served summonses and must submit their defense within 30 days.
This case underscores the importance of robust legal frameworks to safeguard multinational food brands from digital misinformation.
