Aaradhya Bachchan: YouTube pulled up for fake news on Bachchan grandchild

An Indian court has criticised YouTube while hearing a plea filed by 11-year-old Aaradhya Bachchan, granddaughter of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

Ms Bachchan said a YouTube channel published fake news about her "life and health" and sought a restraining order against such reporting.

A Delhi high court judge allowed this, and said YouTube was also at fault for letting people access misinformation.

Ms Bachchan is the focus of intense media attention in India.

The daughter of actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, she is often photographed accompanying them to film festivals and other public events.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a former Miss World and has made appearances on several international talk shows such as David Letterman and the Oprah Winfrey show.

Her husband, Abhishek Bachchan - the son of iconic actor Amitabh Bachchan - had told media, external in 2021 that he would not tolerate negative comments made by trolls about his daughter. "I'm a public figure, that's fine. My daughter is out of bounds," he had said.

On Thursday, the judge asked YouTube to ensure that the videos were taken down immediately. It also issued a summons to YouTube and some YouTube channel operators named in the petition.

"Dissemination of misleading information to a child, especially as regards physical and mental health, is completely intolerable in law," he said.

India has a number of YouTube channels that aim to tap into the growing demand for news on celebrities - often, the content can be shocking or controversial, with little regard for facts.

Several Indian celebrities have also raised concerns about their privacy being invaded and their children being constantly photographed by the paparazzi.