USV Chairperson Leena Tewari Seeks Rs 50 Crore Damages Over Facebook Fraud, Bombay HC Orders Removal of Fake Accounts

The court observed that despite receiving complaints, the platform had failed to take effective action against the accounts, whose operators allegedly used Tewari’s identity and philanthropic reputation to solicit money from unsuspecting individuals.m

In an order dated October 28, 2026, Justice Arif S Doctor directed Facebook to disable the five fake accounts and preserve all records associated with them. The platform has also been instructed to disclose the basic subscriber information of the individuals responsible for creating the profiles. The directions came days after Tewari approached the Bombay High Court seeking damages worth Rs 50 crore and the removal of Facebook accounts allegedly using her name, photographs and personal details without authorisation. She claimed that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, had failed to remove the fraudulent profiles despite receiving complaints.

Advocate Kunal Dwarkadas appeared on behalf of Tewari, along with Rahul Dwarkadas, Aniket Kharote, Rahul Deshpande, Neveille Mukerji and Raushan Kumar, instructed by RJD & Partners. Dwarkadas informed the court that several Facebook accounts had been created using Tewari’s name, description and morphed photographs. The unidentified operators allegedly exploited her reputation as a philanthropist to deceive individuals into believing that they were communicating directly with her and seeking financial assistance. None of the respondents, including Facebook’s legal representatives, appeared before the court despite having been served notices.

The court expressed particular concern over the possibility of unsuspecting individuals being financially exploited through these fraudulent profiles. It referred to a communication submitted by an individual named Ajinas Aju, who reportedly exchanged messages with one of the fake accounts for nearly a year, believing it belonged to Tewari. According to the communication placed before the court, Aju’s house and belongings had been damaged during floods. The person operating the fake profile allegedly offered to help him rebuild his house but asked him to first transfer Rs 5,000 through Google Pay to an individual described as the company’s human resources manager. The payment was allegedly presented as a requirement for generating an account number for the company. Aju subsequently realised that he had been communicating with a fraudulent profile. The photographs and personal details displayed on Facebook had initially convinced him that the account was genuine.

The Bombay High Court observed that Facebook had failed to disable the fraudulent accounts despite receiving complaints from Tewari. It noted that the responses provided by the platform appeared to be automated and did not adequately address the substance or seriousness of the allegations. The court also recorded that the second defendant had failed to take appropriate action despite being called upon to act under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

Justice Doctor observed that Tewari had established a prima facie case and that the balance of convenience favoured granting interim protection. The court further noted that refusing such protection could result in significant damage to her reputation and goodwill. It also observed that the recognition she had received for her philanthropic contributions deserved protection. The court restrained the unidentified operators from using Tewari’s name, photographs, likeness or social media profiles, or claiming any association with her without her consent or authorisation.

In addition to disabling the five identified accounts, Facebook has been directed to preserve all relevant records and information associated with them, including account-holder information, registration details, IP access logs and relevant correspondence. The platform must also provide Tewari’s advocates with the basic subscriber information of the individuals who created the five accounts identified in the plaint. After receiving the information, Tewari will be permitted to amend her plaint and include the identified individuals as additional defendants in the proceedings. The ad-interim relief granted by the court will remain in force until the next hearing scheduled for December 2, 2026.

Mumbai Mirror reports that the court’s intervention followed Tewari’s allegations that fraudulent Facebook profiles were being used to impersonate her, seek money from individuals and damage her reputation despite repeated complaints to the platform.

Leena Gandhi Tewari is the chairperson of USV Private Limited, a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company. She is also the founder of the Dr Susheela Gandhi Centre for Social Development, an organisation dedicated to the education and holistic development of children from less-privileged backgrounds. In 2019, she was ranked 23rd on the Hurun India Philanthropy List and third among women philanthropists in the country.