The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the removal of videos and social media posts accusing a sitting HC judge of being responsible for the deaths of six people in a building collapse in Saket last month, saying the statements were not genuine but appeared to be an effort to “scandalise” the court.The DHCBA contended that the activist had uploaded a series of videos on social media accusing the judge of being responsible for the building collapse.A vacation bench comprising Justices Neena Bansal Krishna and Madhu Jain passed the order while hearing a petition filed by the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) seeking the initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against a psychologist and social activist.In its petition, argued by senior advocate Sacchin Puri and Rakesh Tiku, the DHCBA contended that the activist had uploaded a series of videos on social media accusing the judge of being responsible for the building collapse. The petition further alleged that he falsely claimed the judge had dismissed a plea seeking to stop the illegal construction because of an alleged corrupt nexus with municipal authorities. It added that the statements made in the video were scurrilous and strict action must be taken against the uploader and social media platforms for allowing such posts.“This is not genuine but only to scandalise. We can only hope that public does not pay any attention to it,” the bench remarked.The lawyer of Meta, which operates Facebook, submitted that platform was prepared to remove the impugned content in compliance with the court’s directions. The counsel further saud that, for any future instances, the relevant links could be shared directly with the intermediary, which would then take appropriate action for their removal.Supporting the DHCBA’s submissions, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, argued that social media intermediaries have an independent statutory obligation to act against such content even in the absence of a court order. He submitted that the scheme of the law requires platforms to promptly remove content when its illegality is apparent and palpable. Sharma further contended that the impugned material had already caused significant damage and should have been taken down forthwith.During the hearing, the court observed that such incidents were becoming increasingly common and surfacing with alarming frequency. It underscored the need for social media platforms to act proactively by identifying and removing such content, without waiting for judicial intervention.“It’s not a small matter and not a standalone case. How do we stop it? What is happening is that social media has become powerful, can we impose a responsibility on these platforms also? Once you (social media intermediaries) get to know something so absurd, why don’t you suo moto remove it?” the bench remarked.It also issued notice in the petition, and further said that it may also consider passing orders to block the accounts through which the content was uploaded.The matter will be next heard on July 9.