Delhi High Court directs takedown of fake content on judges, ministers at London badminton tournament

IN AN ELEVEN-PAGE ORDER, the Delhi High Court issued broad directions to takedown the media reports, videos, and social media posts that depicted the participation of the Chief Justice of India (‘CJI’), sitting judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and Union Ministers in the 2nd International Bar & Bench Badminton Championship held in London on June 7, 2026.

A report on the proceedings before Justice Tejas Karia was covered by The Leaflet on June 19. The full report can be read here.

Background to the Petition

In the lead-up to the case, a wave of reports, videos and posts were circulated regarding the 2nd International Bar & Bench Badminton Championship arranged in London that claimed that the CJI along with the Law Minister participated in the championship. Photographs from an earlier domestic championship were shared to support the allegation. 

The Badminton Association of India (‘BAI’), the national governing body for the sport, moved the Delhi High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution to seek takedown of the misleading, factually incorrect, and allegedly motivated reporting, statements, publications, posts, concerning judges of the constitutional courts in connection with the London event. 

Submissions by BAI

Senior Advocate Mr. Apurv Kurup for BAI argued that the championship organised by former international badminton player Ms. Abantika Deka, founder of Deka Events was a bona fide initiative meant to foster “camaraderie, sportsmanship and goodwill” within the legal fraternity. However, the content claiming that the CJI and over 100 sitting judges had travelled to London at public expense to participate in the tournament “were factually incorrect, malicious and motivated, and were calculated to scandalise and lower the dignity” of the judges. BAI also submitted that the content formed a “part of a concerted and politically motivated campaign and attack against the integrity of the Judiciary.”

Among the materials sought to be removed there were two YouTube videos by the channel @thepublicindia, reports by The Print, National Herald, and The Tribune, and three posts on X by individual handles (@priyankac19, @bismil_prasad, @GolfVictor007). 

A particular emphasis was put on the formal statement issued by the All India Lawyers Union (‘AILU’) on June 11 which had described the event as a “vulgar display of inappropriate and objectionable collaboration” and characterised judicial participation as a “violent negation” of the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct, 2002.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta along with the Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma similarly clarified that neither the CJI nor the Law Minister had attended the championship. The Order notes that only two judges from the Allahabad High Court “had visited London in their personal capacity.”