Madras HC asks youtuber to pay Rs 50 lakh for trolling; Warns social media users targeting transgenders

The Madras High Court has warned YouTubers and social media writers who target and troll transgender individuals. The court has ordered YouTuber Joe Micheal Praveen to pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation to transgender-celebrity Apsara Reddy, who is the spokesperson of Tamil Nadu's main opposition party, the AIADMK, a TOI report stated.

Google, on the other hand, has been exempted from a similar penalty as it removed the defamatory and scandalous content uploaded by Joe Micheal Praveen after being flagged. Additionally, Apsara Reddy did not press charges against Google.

In his order on January 4, Justice N Sathish Kumar cautioned Google, stating, "It is high time for the second defendant (Google LLC) to probe and bring an end to allowing malicious content, at least in the future."


Apsara Reddy had approached the court seeking Rs 1.25 crore in damages from Joe Micheal Praveen for publishing at least 10 defamatory YouTube videos, which tarnished her reputation. She claimed that these libelous and slanderous videos had caused her immense damage and hardships. Apsara Reddy also requested the court to direct Google to remove the 10 videos published by Joe Micheal Praveen.

Joe Micheal Praveen did not appear in court despite receiving notice, leading the court to pass an ex parte order instructing him to pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation to Apsara Reddy.

Apsara Reddy stated that Joe Micheal Praveen had targeted her after she refused to do a joint video or program with him while she was an editor at Provogue magazine. She claimed that he became angry and started defaming her through gossip and circulating false information about her social activities.

Justice Sathish Kumar, agreeing with the arguments presented by senior counsel V Raghavachari, representing Apsara Reddy, deemed the contents posted by Joe Micheal Praveen as a "clear humiliation" to Apsara Reddy. The judge noted that due to the circulation of these malicious contents on social media, Apsara Reddy had faced the abrupt cancellation of several programs.

"The reputation of the plaintiff (Apsara Reddy) has been severely tarnished, resulting in the abrupt cancellation of many of her programs...All these factors clearly indicate that although the damages cannot be precisely determined, the plaintiff must be compensated with a sum of Rs 50 lakhs," said Justice Sathish Kumar.

Justice Sathish Kumar recognized Apsara Reddy's reputation for advocating transgender rights and gender equality, as well as her political association with top leaders and social achievements. He emphasized that while individuals have the right to post on YouTube, they cannot encroach upon the privacy of others. The judge stated that when statements on platforms like YouTube touch upon an individual's character, behavior, and personal life, it can have a serious impact on that person.