Your business has fake reviews on JustDial, a defamatory review on Trustpilot, and a competitor is using Sulekha reviews to undermine you. Each platform has different policies, different contact processes, and different response times. Dealing with them one by one is exhausting.
This guide consolidates the review removal process for JustDial, Trustpilot, and Sulekha into a single playbook for Indian businesses. Instead of searching for three separate guides, you get one unified process that covers platform-specific tactics, the common legal framework under Indian law, and the realistic expectations for each platform.
JustDial Review Removal
JustDial is one of India’s largest local business directories with over 30 million listings. Reviews on JustDial carry significant weight for local businesses because JustDial results frequently appear in Google searches for Indian business queries.
JustDial’s Review Policy
JustDial allows reviews from verified users. Their policies prohibit:
Reviews from non-customers Fake or fabricated reviews Reviews containing personal attacks Reviews with obscene or abusive language Promotional content disguised as reviews Reviews violating Indian law
How to Request Review Removal from JustDial
Step 1: Contact JustDial business support. If you have a JustDial business listing, log into your business dashboard. Go to the reviews section and flag the review you want removed, providing specific reasons.
Step 2: Email JustDial support. Send a detailed email to JustDial’s customer support with:
- Your business name and JustDial listing URL
- The specific review you want removed (date, username, content)
- The reason for removal (guideline violation, fake review, defamatory content)
- Evidence supporting your claim (transaction records showing the reviewer wasn’t a customer, evidence of competitor activity, etc.)
Step 3: Follow up persistently. JustDial’s response time varies. Follow up weekly if you don’t hear back within 7 days.
When JustDial Won’t Remove
If JustDial’s standard process doesn’t work:
Grievance Officer route: JustDial is an Indian intermediary subject to IT Rules 2021. They must have a Grievance Officer. File a formal complaint citing the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules and demanding resolution within 15 days.
Legal notice: For defamatory reviews, send a legal notice to JustDial and the reviewer (if identifiable) under Section 79 BNS 2023 and Section 79 IT Act (intermediary liability).
Deleting Your JustDial Business Listing
Some business owners want to delete their entire JustDial listing rather than manage individual reviews. This is generally not recommended because:
JustDial listings contribute to local SEO Deleting your listing means a competitor fills that search space You lose the positive reviews along with the negative ones
However, if you want to remove your listing:
Contact JustDial customer support requesting listing deletion Provide business ownership verification JustDial may require written authorization on company letterhead Processing takes 7-15 business days
Trustpilot Review Removal
Trustpilot is increasingly used by Indian businesses, especially in e-commerce, SaaS, and services sectors. Reviews on Trustpilot are highly visible in Google results because of Trustpilot’s strong domain authority.
Trustpilot’s Review Policy
Trustpilot positions itself as an “open” review platform and has a strong editorial policy against removing genuine reviews. They will remove reviews that:
Are clearly fake or fabricated Were not written by actual customers Contain personal attacks, threats, or hate speech Include confidential information Violate applicable laws (including Indian defamation law) Are posted by competitors or people with conflicts of interest
Trustpilot will NOT remove reviews simply because they are negative, even if the business disputes the reviewer’s account of events.
How to Report a Fake Review on Trustpilot
Step 1: Log into your Trustpilot Business account (free to claim).
Step 2: Find the review and click “Report.”
Step 3: Select the reason for reporting and provide detailed evidence.
Step 4: Trustpilot’s Content Integrity team will review. This typically takes 7-14 days.
Step 5: If rejected, use the Trustpilot Compliance team for additional review, especially if you have evidence of a fake review campaign.
Trustpilot’s Fraud Detection
Trustpilot has sophisticated fraud detection that can identify:
Reviews from the same IP address Reviews with similar writing patterns Mass review campaigns (multiple reviews posted in short periods) Reviews from accounts created solely to leave one review
If you suspect a coordinated fake review campaign against your business on Trustpilot, contact their Content Integrity team with evidence of the pattern.
Legal Routes for Trustpilot
Since Trustpilot operates globally but serves Indian users:
IT Rules 2021 Grievance Officer: Trustpilot, as an intermediary accessible in India, should comply with IT Rules. File a Grievance Officer complaint for defamatory content.
Google deindexing: If the Trustpilot review is defamatory and the platform won’t remove it, you can request Google to deindex the specific Trustpilot review page from Indian search results using Google’s legal removal form.
Cross-border considerations: Trustpilot is headquartered in Denmark. For legal enforcement, you may need to consider both Indian and EU legal frameworks. Under EU law (GDPR), individuals have additional rights around personal data that could support removal requests.
Sulekha Review Removal
Sulekha is an Indian services marketplace connecting customers with service providers. Reviews on Sulekha matter particularly for service businesses in Indian metros.
Sulekha’s Review Policy
Sulekha allows reviews from users who have connected with businesses through their platform. Their policies prohibit:
Reviews from non-users (people who didn’t use Sulekha to connect with the business) Fake or incentivized reviews Reviews with personal attacks or abusive language Reviews containing confidential information
How to Request Review Removal from Sulekha
Step 1: Log into your Sulekha business account.
Step 2: Go to your reviews and flag the inappropriate review.
Step 3: Contact Sulekha’s business support team via their support portal or email with:
- Your business details and Sulekha listing
- The specific review and the guideline it violates
- Evidence supporting your removal request
Step 4: Follow up if you don’t hear back within 10 days.
When Sulekha Won’t Remove
Apply the same escalation framework as JustDial:
Grievance Officer complaint under IT Rules 2021 Legal notice for defamatory content under BNS 2023 Consumer Protection Act if the fake review constitutes unfair trade practice
The Unified Legal Framework (Works Across All Three Platforms)
Regardless of which platform the fake review is on, these Indian legal provisions apply:
IT Rules 2021 Grievance Officer Process
Every intermediary operating in India must have a Grievance Officer. This covers JustDial, Trustpilot (to the extent they serve Indian users), and Sulekha.
How to use it:
- Identify the platform’s Grievance Officer (usually listed in their Terms of Service or Legal page)
- Send a formal complaint citing the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
- Include: your identity, the specific review, the violation, and evidence
- Demand resolution within 15 days (or 72 hours for privacy violations)
- If unresolved: escalate to Grievance Appellate Committee at gac.gov.in
BNS 2023 Defamation (Section 79)
False statements of fact that damage your business reputation are defamatory. You can:
Send a legal notice to the reviewer (if identifiable) and the platform File a criminal defamation case Seek an injunction restraining further publication
Consumer Protection Act 2019
If a competitor is systematically posting fake reviews to harm your business:
File a complaint with the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Cite “unfair trade practice” under Section 2(47) Request compensation for business losses caused by fake reviews
IT Act Section 79 (Intermediary Liability)
Platforms lose their safe harbor protection under Section 79 of the IT Act if they fail to remove content after receiving “actual knowledge” of its illegal nature. Your Grievance Officer complaint or legal notice provides that “actual knowledge.”
Cross-Platform Review Management Strategy
Instead of fighting individual fake reviews, build a systematic approach:
Monitor All Platforms
Set up alerts for new reviews on JustDial, Trustpilot, Sulekha, and Google. Check weekly at minimum. The faster you catch a fake review, the easier it is to address.
Respond Professionally to Genuine Negative Reviews
On all three platforms, professional responses to genuine negative reviews improve your business reputation. The response framework is the same across platforms:
Acknowledge the concern Apologize for the experience Explain corrective actions Invite offline resolution
Build a Positive Review Pipeline
Across all platforms, systematically encourage genuine positive reviews:
After positive customer interactions, mention that you’d appreciate a review on the platform they found you on (JustDial, Sulekha, etc.) Include review links in post-service follow-up emails Time review requests when customers are most likely to be satisfied (right after project completion, after a positive milestone)
Don’t Forget Google
While this guide focuses on JustDial, Trustpilot, and Sulekha, Google Reviews remain the most impactful review platform for Indian businesses. See our detailed guide on deleting Google reviews in India for the complete Google-specific process.
Why Indian Businesses Get Targeted on These Platforms
Understanding why fake reviews happen helps you prevent and respond to them:
Competitor attacks. In competitive Indian markets (especially services, coaching, and local businesses), competitors sometimes post fake negative reviews to damage rivals. This is particularly common in industries where a Google/JustDial search is the primary customer acquisition channel.
Extortion attempts. Some individuals post fake negative reviews and then contact the business offering to remove the review for a fee. This is criminal extortion under Section 308 BNS 2023. If you experience this, file a police complaint immediately and do not pay.
Disgruntled ex-employees. Former employees sometimes post fake customer reviews (pretending to be customers) to harm the business. This is different from employee reviews on Glassdoor/AmbitionBox. If you can prove the reviewer is an ex-employee posting as a customer, this violates platform guidelines and can be grounds for removal.
Customer disputes gone wrong. Sometimes genuine customers who had a legitimate dispute escalate to posting negative reviews across multiple platforms as a pressure tactic. These reviews are often opinion-based and harder to remove, but responding professionally and offering resolution can lead to the customer voluntarily editing or removing their reviews.
Organized review manipulation services. There are services in India that sell fake negative reviews as a competitive weapon. If you suspect you’re the target of such a service (sudden appearance of multiple negative reviews with similar patterns), document the pattern and pursue legal action under both the IT Act and Consumer Protection Act.
Knowing the source helps you choose the right response: flagging for fake reviews, legal action for extortion, and professional response for genuine disputes.
The AI Search Dimension
Reviews on all three platforms influence what AI search engines say about your business. When someone asks ChatGPT “Is [Business] good?” or “Best [service] in [city]?”, AI models aggregate information from JustDial, Trustpilot, Sulekha, and Google Reviews.
A low rating on any of these platforms can affect your AI search reputation. For the complete picture of managing your presence in AI-generated answers, see our guides on AI search reputation management and business reputation management.
How FameNinja Handles Cross-Platform Review Cases
At FameNinja, we manage review reputation across all major platforms as part of our business reputation management services:
We audit all review platforms together. Instead of addressing JustDial, Trustpilot, and Sulekha in isolation, we assess your review landscape across all platforms and prioritize based on impact.
We use platform-specific and legal channels simultaneously. For fake reviews, we file platform reports and Grievance Officer complaints in parallel. Legal notices are prepared and sent when platform moderation fails.
We build sustainable review generation systems. We help businesses create processes that consistently generate genuine positive reviews across all relevant platforms, improving overall ratings over time.
We integrate review management with broader ORM. Reviews are one piece of your business reputation management puzzle. We ensure that improvements on review platforms translate to better Google results and AI search representation.
FAQ
Can I pay JustDial to remove negative reviews?
JustDial does not officially offer paid review removal. However, JustDial offers paid “best deal” and premium listing services that include some level of business support. Premium listing customers may get faster response to review moderation requests, but there’s no guaranteed removal for reviews that don’t violate community guidelines.
How do I remove a fake review on Trustpilot?
Log into your Trustpilot Business account, find the review, and click “Report.” Select the appropriate reason and provide evidence that the review is fake (the reviewer was never a customer, the review matches a pattern of fake reviews, etc.). Trustpilot’s Content Integrity team reviews reports within 7-14 days. If denied, escalate through the IT Rules 2021 Grievance Officer route.
Can I delete my entire Sulekha business listing?
Yes. Contact Sulekha’s business support and request listing deletion with business ownership verification. However, this removes all your positive reviews too and gives up the search visibility your listing provides. We generally recommend managing reviews rather than deleting the listing.
What if a competitor is posting fake reviews across multiple platforms?
This is a coordinated unfair trade practice. File Consumer Protection Act 2019 complaints, send legal notices to each platform and the competitor (if identifiable), and gather evidence of the coordinated pattern (timing, writing style, IP analysis). A court order can address all platforms simultaneously.
How long does JustDial take to remove a flagged review?
JustDial’s response time varies. Standard flagging: 7-15 business days. Grievance Officer formal complaint: legally mandated 15-day resolution. Legal notice: usually prompts faster response within 7-10 days. Follow up weekly until resolution.
Do Trustpilot reviews appear in Indian Google search results?
Yes. Trustpilot has very strong domain authority, and Trustpilot review pages frequently rank on page 1 of Google for brand-name searches in India. A negative Trustpilot review can be more visible in Google results than reviews on Indian-specific platforms. This makes Trustpilot review management particularly important for Indian businesses with any international presence.
Can I respond to reviews on all three platforms?
Yes. JustDial, Trustpilot, and Sulekha all allow business owners to respond to reviews publicly. On all three platforms, professional responses to negative reviews improve your business reputation and help potential customers see how you handle feedback.
What’s more effective: removing negative reviews or getting more positive ones?
For most businesses, a combination works best. Remove reviews that are fake, defamatory, or violate platform guidelines. For genuine negative reviews, respond professionally and focus on generating a steady stream of genuine positive reviews that improve your overall rating. A business with 50 reviews and a 4.2 rating is more trusted than a business with 5 reviews and a 5.0 rating.
