Bombay High Court orders YouTuber to remove review video of coconut oil: Report

The Bombay High Court has ruled against Abhijeet Bhansali, a social media influencer, to remove a review video of a coconut oil brand, reported Mumbai Mirror.

Justice SJ Kathawalla observed that the YouTuber’s right to express an opinion is not absolute and said that free expression doesn’t include the right to disparage others, reported the website. Abhijeet Bhansali, also known as Bearded Chokra on YouTube was asked by the court to bring down his video where he reviews Marico Industries’ coconut oil and asks people not to buy the product, says the report.

Marico had asked the court not to allow him to upload such content anymore but the court did not accept their request, reported the publication. It further added that if there is any problem with any videos uploaded by Bhansali in the future, those will have to be dealt with on its own merits.

Furthermore, the website added that the court made observations on social media influencers and the responsibility that they need to observe while making reviews and comments on matters in their ‘field of expertise’.

Abhijeet’s channel on YouTube has over one lakh followers and the video that was asked to be taken down has over 2.3 lakh views. The website reported that the YouTuber had a postgraduate degree in biotechnology and said that the specific video was made after he referred to various blogs and international articles. The website report also quoted him saying that he did not upload the video at the request of any of Marico’s competitors.

Marico said that their product was not inferior to any cold-pressed oils and was made from the “finest grades of coconut oil,” reported the publication. The company also contended that the YouTuber provided links to a competitor’s product and that he received a commission from sales of the product on the e-commerce website, said the report.