Hardeep Singh Puri's Daughter Moves Delhi HC (IMAGE: X)
Himayani Puri, daughter of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, has taken her fight against online rumours to the Delhi High Court. She wants the court to order the removal of content tying her to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, allegations she calls baseless.
In her petition, she’s asking for a permanent ban on these claims, plus Rs 10 crore in damages from several social media companies and various unnamed individuals.
Her side argues that people online have cooked up and spread stories saying she had business, financial, personal, or network connections with Epstein and his crimes. These accusations, her legal team says, have no truth to them and are meant to damage her reputation.
A closer look at defamation lawsuits in India: If someone sues for defamation here, they’re often looking for either hefty financial compensation or a public apology, sometimes both.
To win, the person must show that the statements were false, harmful, and said with ill intent. Courts factor in the hit to someone’s reputation and emotional suffering. Public figures, in particular, tend to go to court to protect their image, which has become even more important (and difficult) in the age of social media.
The recent case involving Lakshmi Puri shows just how seriously the courts take online defamation these days.
Himayani Puri’s got a pretty impressive track record in finance. She’s Indian by origin and the daughter of Hardeep Singh Puri, who serves as a Union Minister, and Lakshmi Puri, a former diplomat. Instead of following her parents into public service, she carved her own path in global finance.
Right now, she wears several hats at First Manhattan Co. in New York: Partner, Portfolio Manager, and Head of Research. With almost thirty years in equity research and value investing, she’s seen just about everything across different industries.
She studied in the U.S. and went through Penn’s Management & Technology dual-degree program. That means she picked up both a BS in Economics from Wharton and a BAS in Systems Engineering from the engineering school.
Over the years, Himayani has held senior positions at various investment firms, and people see her as a seasoned global investor.
As for Himayani’s case, her plea also points out that some publications falsely claimed she or Realm Partners LLC, the firm where she worked, got money or “tainted” funds from Epstein or his people.
One post even accused Robert Millard of teaming up with her to bring down Lehman Brothers.
Himayani’s legal filing calls these accusations “entirely false, malicious, and devoid of any factual foundation.”
In the suit, she lists 14 specific defendants along with unnamed people (the classic John Doe move in Indian courts, here, also called Ashok Kumar).
She says they used sensational videos, doctored captions and thumbnails, and other tricks to stir up anger, spread the rumors fast, and deliberately harm her reputation.
The Delhi High Court is expected to hear the case on Tuesday.
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