Kolkata Case: SC Orders Immediate Removal of Deceased’s Name and Photos from Social Media

New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has directed social media platforms to comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling, which mandates the removal of all references to the name and images of a deceased individual involved in the RG Kar Medical College incident. The Supreme Court issued this order on August 20, 2024, following concerns over the unauthorized dissemination of sensitive content related to the case.

The Court’s directive requires the immediate removal of the deceased’s identity, photographs, and video clips from both social media and electronic media platforms. The decision underscores the need to protect the privacy and dignity of individuals impacted by such events.

The key directive from the Court reads:
“This Court is constrained to issue an injunctive order since the social and electronic media have proceeded to publish the identity of the deceased and photographs of the dead body after the recovery of the body. We accordingly direct that all references to the name of the deceased in the above incident, photographs, and video clips shall forthwith be removed from all social media platforms and electronic media in compliance with this order.”