- Hardeep Puri's daughter filed a defamation case over online content linking her to Epstein
- She sought Rs 10 crore in damages and permanent injunction against Google, X, Meta, LinkedIn
- The suit claims false allegations of financial or network ties with Epstein and his criminal acts
Petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri's daughter has filed a defamation case in the Delhi High Court to remove online content linking her to convicted sex offender and paedophile Jefferey Epstein. Himayani Puri has also sought Rs 10 crore in damages and a permanent injunction against several social media entities.
Puri alleged before the court that several online posts have falsely claimed that she had a financial or network association with Epstein or his criminal activities.
Urging the court for the removal of such online content, she sought a direction from the court to the social media intermediaries like Google, X, Meta, and LinkedIn to take down similar defamatory statements when brought to their notice.
The defamation suit is likely to be taken up for hearing tomorrow.
Read: NDTV Exclusive: Hardeep Puri On "Exotic Island", "Have Fun" Mails To Epstein
According to Puri's defamation suit, the defamatory content started surfacing from February 22, 2026, alleging that she maintained direct or indirect business, financial, personal, or other network associations with Epstein and/or his criminal activities.
It was also alleged that Real Partners LLC, where Puri was employed, received funding, financial benefits, or funds from Epstein or his associates, and that one Robert Millard allegedly acted in concert with Puri to engineer the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
Puri argued that these allegations were entirely false, malicious, and devoid of any factual foundation and were designed to "maximise public outrage, digital virality, and consequent reputational harm" to her.
Read: "I Didn't Seek Meetings": Hardeep Puri To NDTV On "Epstein Files" Attack
"She is being targeted in a coordinated and motivated manner with the clear intention of maligning and discrediting her, both in India and on a global scale," the suit said, arguing that she was being targeted because she is the minister's daughter.
Documents spanning thousands of emails and photos released by the US government, referred to as the Epstein Files, revealed exchanges between the disgraced American financer and several powerful figures across the world.
Hardeep Puri had also faced political backlash in India over his email exchanges with Epstein in 2014 and 2015. However, speaking to NDTV, he had denied any knowledge of Epstein's criminal conduct at that time and rejected suggestions that his correspondence indicated complicity.
