Delhi High Court Orders Restoration of Satirical Social Media Accounts

Court Ruling on Social Media Accounts

On Monday, the Delhi High Court mandated the reinstatement of two satirical accounts on the social media platform X, which had been blocked in India since March 18 due to directives from the Union government.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav ruled that the accounts, @DrNimoYadav and @Nehr_who, must be restored, although the posts cited in the blocking order will remain inaccessible.

Prateek Sharma, who manages @DrNimoYadav, and Kumar Nayan, the operator of @Nehr_who, have been instructed to appear before a review committee from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. This committee will assess whether the posts should continue to be restricted under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

According to Section 69A, a government official of at least joint secretary rank can issue orders to remove content from social media if it is considered a threat to national security, sovereignty, or public order.

On March 18, the Union government ordered X to block 12 accounts, including well-known profiles like @mrjethwani_ and @Doc_RGM, along with the account of journalist and activist Sandeep Singh.

Hartosh Singh Bal, editor of The Caravan, noted that a post from March 14 promoting a 2022 article had also been blocked. This post featured the cover of the April 2002 issue of India Today, which depicted Narendra Modi, then the chief minister of Gujarat, with the headline 'Hero of Hatred.'

Sharma contested the blocking order on March 25, requesting the Union government to present the order itself.

The Centre informed the court that the account was blocked due to allegations of 'spreading false narratives' about the prime minister and 'depicting him unfavorably.'

In an affidavit, the Union government asserted that the accounts had utilized images, videos, and AI-generated content to 'defame' the prime minister, claiming that such misinformation could disrupt public order and pose internal security risks.

On April 1, it was reported that X had communicated to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology that the recent blocking orders were 'excessive and disproportionate,' infringing on the rights of account holders.

X expressed concerns that the blocking order issued on March 18 did not adhere to the stipulations of Section 69A of the IT Act.