How to Remove a Fake News Article
in Kochi
A legal step-by-step guide for Kochi residents and businesses. Fake news articles that rank on name searches cause long-term damage. Legal notices to editors personally create urgency that editorial complaints processes do not.
Archive the article: save full URL, page archive, and metadata before the publisher may edit it.
Identify the publisher: determine if they are an Indian registered intermediary or media entity subject to IT Act and Press Council.
Defamation notice to the editor: a notice citing BNS 2023 s.356 (formerly IPC 499/500), addressed to the editor and the publisher, identifies each false statement and asks for removal or correction.
IT Act Section 79 notice: puts the publishing platform on formal notice; if it declines, a court order must be acted on within three hours.
Google Search Console de-indexing: once removed, permanent removal from search results filed through Google's legal team.
Remove Fake News Article in Kochi: the local legal context
Kochi falls within the Kerala High Court, which sits in the city. Kochi's strong professional culture — with significant presence of IT companies, healthcare institutions, and finance sector employers — creates a distinctive defamation risk profile including Glassdoor attacks targeting Kerala-based IT employers and social media defamation targeting medical professionals.
Glassdoor reviews targeting Kochi IT and BPO employers
Medical professional defamation through Kerala-language social media
Right to Be Forgotten applications for dated adverse content
Kochi content matters involve Malayalam-language news portals, regional YouTube channels with strong subscriber bases, and TripAdvisor and Google Reviews for the city's tourism and hospitality industries.
Kerala High Court sits at Kochi but has no original civil side, so a civil suit starts in the competent civil court in Kochi.
Highest-risk Kochi industries: Tourism and hospitality businesses (TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, Booking.com defamation during peak seasons), Malayalam-cinema professionals (regional YouTube and social media coordinated attacks), and seafood-export and shipping businesses.
In Kochi, fake news article removal rests on the Information Technology Act 2000 (Section 79 read with IT Rules 2021, which set platform deadlines of three hours on a court order, two hours on intimate images or impersonation of a person, and seven days on most other complaints, defamation included), criminal defamation under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 s.356 (formerly IPC 499/500), and civil injunctions from the competent civil court in Kochi. Across 25+ cities RepuLex maintains a 97% case success rate — permanent removal, not suppression.
Fake news articles that rank on name searches cause long-term damage. Legal notices to editors personally create urgency that editorial complaints processes do not.
How long does it take to remove a fake news article in Kochi?+
Most cases in Kochi are resolved within 7–30 days via IT Act 2000 platform notices. Emergency cases are handled on a 24-hour escalation track. RepuLex confirms all removals in writing before closing the case.
Can RepuLex help you remove a fake news article in Kochi?+
Yes. RepuLex takes on this work for clients across Kerala and the rest of India; legal notices and court filings are drafted and served by the partner law firm. The IT Act 2000 and the IT Rules 2021 apply to every intermediary offering services in India, wherever the platform is hosted, so a notice for a Kochi client runs the same way as one sent from anywhere else. Where a court order is needed, the partner law firm files in the competent civil court in Kochi, and before Kerala High Court for writ petitions.
What does it cost to remove a fake news article in Kochi?+
RepuLex charges a fixed one-time fee: ₹99,999 per URL permanently removed. Package pricing: Starter Shield (3 URLs) at ₹2,49,999 and Business Clear (10 URLs) at ₹7,49,999. A free case assessment is provided before any commitment. No monthly retainers. These rates cover standard-complexity removals; news media and court-reported matters are quoted separately from ₹1,00,000 per URL.
Need help? RepuLex handles it for you in Kochi.
Free assessment · Fixed fee · Kerala High Court jurisdiction · Written confirmation