HC closes case of IRPS officer Anjali Birla against objectionable posts
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday closed the proceedings in a lawsuit filed by Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter Anjali Birla against alleged objectionable social media posts.
Justice Jyoti Singh passed the decree in favour of Anjali Birla in the suit which was filed against X Corp (formally known as Twitter), Google, and unknown persons (John Doe).
The officer sought directions to take down social media posts which alleged that she cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam and became an IAS officer in her very first attempt because of her father's influence.
Her counsel had submitted that Birla had appeared for the UPSC, Civil Services Exam (CSE), and was selected in the consolidated reserve list of 2019. She joined Indian Railways as an IRPS officer.
The high court, in its July last year interim order, had directed X Corp and Google Inc to remove the alleged objectionable social media posts against Anjali Birla.
It had also restrained unknown parties from directly or indirectly posting, circulating, communicating, tweeting or retweeting the alleged defamatory content mentioned by Anjali Birla in her defamation suit.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the court was informed by the counsel for X that out of the 16 posts, 12 were removed by the originators while access to the remaining four posts was blocked by the social media platform in pursuance to the interim order.
The court directed X to remove the remaining four social media posts and added that in case Anjali Birla brings to its notice any other identical posts, they should also be removed by the social media platform.
The court had earlier opined that the social media posts the plaintiff had complained about did not appear to have been made after due verification.
“The plaintiff was appointed to IRPS in 2021. The purpose of posting the impugned social media posts in 2024 and in the language they have been posted do not appear to be bonafide,” it had noted in 2024.
Anjali Birla’s counsel had contended that the social media tweets were per se defamatory and incorrect and had been made in a reckless manner only to tarnish the reputation of the plaintiff and they cannot be allowed to continue to be in circulation.
He contended that similar allegations had surfaced against her in 2021, but on a complaint by the officer, were investigated by several media houses and later the controversy died down.
“After three years, this social media campaign has again started which not only defames her but also her family, including her father who is a political figure and holds a constitutional post.
“I became an officer in 2021 but now suddenly these things have come up again because of the NEET and UPSC exams controversy. The social media posts make it feel as if we are all part of this. My (plaintiff) private pictures are being posted online saying I am a model,” the counsel had said, adding she has also lodged a complaint with the cyber crime department.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Uncontrolled digging could erase Dharmasthala mass burial evidence: Soil scientist warns SIT
Bengaluru: A soil scientist, who has studied tropical lateritic soils, has released a note in anonymity, warning the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala (1994–2014) that improper excavation could permanently destroy critical forensic evidence.
The scientist cautioned that in the coastal, high-rainfall environment of Dharmasthala, bones from older graves are often not visually present due to the region’s acidic laterite soil, which accelerates decomposition. “In these conditions, the visual absence of bones does not mean there was no burial,” the expert stressed. “Chemical and microscopic soil analysis may be the only way to detect older graves.”
According to the soil scientist, Dharmasthala’s lateritic soil has a pH of 4.5–6, is porous and rich in iron and aluminium oxides, and is subject to over 3,500 mm of annual rainfall. These factors together cause rapid bone mineral dissolution and collagen breakdown. “In as little as 15–20 years, complete skeletons can be reduced to just teeth, enamel shards, or micro-residues,” the scientist said.
Drawing on comparisons with Rwanda, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Srebrenica, the scientist estimated that:
- Graves less than 15 years old have a reasonable chance of yielding skeletons.
- Graves 15–20 years old may yield only partial skeletons and teeth.
- Burials older than 20 years often retain only chemical signatures and microscopic fragments.
“In Dharmasthala’s soil, the probability of finding a full skeleton after two decades is near zero,” the expert said.
‘JCBs will destroy what’s left’
The soil scientist was particularly critical of the use of heavy machinery in the investigation. “Uncontrolled digging with JCBs can obliterate brittle bone fragments, erase burial stratigraphy, and mix burial soil with surrounding soil, diluting chemical signals,” he warned. “It’s equivalent to destroying the crime scene.”
The scientist emphasised that disturbed lateritic soil can quickly resemble undisturbed ground, making it almost impossible to detect graves later.
GPR as a map, not a microscope
The expert also noted that Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) could play a limited role in the investigation. “GPR can help locate soil disturbances, but in wet, iron-rich lateritic soils, it cannot ‘see bones.’ For burials decades old, chemical analysis of soil is far more reliable,” he said.
Call for controlled forensic exhumation
The soil scientist urged the SIT to stop all mechanical digging and adopt a forensic protocol:
- Use GPR or other non-invasive methods to locate anomalies.
- Excavate in small, measured layers under forensic supervision.
- Collect soil samples for chemical and microscopic analysis.
- Sieve soil to recover micro bone fragments and teeth.
“Only a controlled, scientific approach will preserve what little evidence may remain in this environment,” the scientist said. “If these traces are destroyed, the truth about the alleged burials may never be proven.”
The SIT is investigating allegations of mass burials linked to the disappearance of individuals between 1994 and 2014 in Dharmasthala. No official response to the scientist’s concerns has been issued.
