On Thursday, the Delhi High Court issued a directive to social media platforms, including Meta and Google, to remove videos of court proceedings involving Arvind Kejriwal (Chief Minister of Delhi) and others. This order stems from a public interest litigation concerning unauthorized recordings shared online. The court, presided over by Justices V Kameswar Rao and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, examined a recusal plea before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma. The petitioner, Vaibhav Singh, argued that recordings from an April 13 hearing were circulated to distort judicial proceedings and promote a political agenda. Meta reported to the court that it had already removed some flagged links, while Google stated that certain YouTube videos did not contain the contested recordings, a claim disputed by the petitioner. The court has mandated Google to remove specific links and submit an affidavit regarding its actions. Furthermore, the court issued notices to all involved parties, including the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, referencing the IT Rules, 2021, which require intermediaries to prevent unlawful content. The bench raised concerns about the misuse of virtual hearings and the responsibilities of social media platforms in managing such content, emphasizing that unauthorized sharing of court proceedings is strictly prohibited. The matter will be revisited on July 6.