The cyber wing of Maharashtra Police has summoned an X (formerly Twitter) user and seven others for posting or reposting defamatory content about Anjali Birla, an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) officer and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter.

Maharashtra Cyber had registered a case against an X account named `Dhruv Rathee (Parody)' for claiming 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.

The parody account had no connection with Dhruv Rathi, a YouTuber with a large following, a police official said.

The baseless post was retweeted or shared by seven others, following which a relative of Anjali Birla's lodged a complaint with Maharashtra Cyber under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita as well as the Information Technology Act for defamation, intentional insult, breach of peace and mischief.

Police tracked down the social media user who posted the original tweet on the parody account and those who retweeted it, and have summoned all eight X users to record their statements, the official said.

The X user who was running the parody account later offered unconditional apology, he said, adding that the probe would take place as per the legal provisions.

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court directed X Corp and Google Inc to remove alleged objectionable social media posts against Anjali Birla and restrained unknown parties from posting or circulating the alleged defamatory content, in response to a defamation suit filed by her.

Her counsel submitted that Birla had appeared for the UPSC, Civil Services Exam (CSE), and she was selected in the consolidated reserve list of 2019. She joined Indian Railways as an IRPS officer.

"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,” the HC noted.

The "social media campaign" against her started in the wake of the NEET and UPSC exam controversy, her lawyer told the HC.

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