Epstein files case: High Court refuses to hear the petition filed against Hardeep Puri’s daughter.

New Delhi. The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected a social activist’s appeal challenging its order to remove a social media post linking Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s daughter to American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The court asked him to present his complaints before the single judge who passed the order.

A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Renu Bhatnagar asked the single judge to take a final decision on the issue of continuation or revocation of the interim order as soon as possible. The court has given one week’s time to the appellant Kunal Shukla to file his reply on Himayani Puri’s injunction petition before the single judge.

“Let the matter be listed before the single judge on April 23. The single judge will, after hearing the parties, without being influenced by any prior observation, take a final decision on the application for lifting the injunction or stay as soon as possible,” the court said. Shukla alleged in his appeal that the single judge passed the order on March 17 without giving any notice or time to file his reply, restraining him from publishing, circulating or sharing the concerned post on social media.

In her suit, Himayani Puri had sought damages of Rs 10 crore and several organizations to be restrained from disseminating allegedly defamatory material, claiming that a systematic and malicious online campaign was launched to link her to Epstein and his crimes.