The Delhi High Court on Monday told microblogging platform X to immediately restore two satirical accounts that were blocked on a government direction for allegedly posting defamatory content targeting the Prime Minister.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav ruled for full account restoration, but said specific tweets flagged in the blocking orders must remain temporarily blocked pending review by a committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
These accounts, @DrNimoYadav (run by Prateek Sharma) and @Nehr_who (by Kumar Nayan), were blocked in India on March 18 on a MeitY directive under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. According to the ministry, the accounts featured defamatory posts using photos, videos and AI-manipulated content.
A review committee will now examine whether the content meets the legal threshold. If the tweets are found non-objectionable, the intermediary can restore them fully.
The court emphasised that the review committee must follow principles of natural justice, digital rights advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation, which is providing legal assistance to the petitioners in the case, said in a blog post.
The detailed order was not available on the Delhi High Court's website till press time Monday.
"This is a significant moment for due process in online speech cases," the foundation said in a post on X. "The upcoming review will be crucial in determining the limits of state power over online speech," it said in another post.
The petitioners, represented by Vrinda Grover, argued that no notice was given to them before issuing the blocking orders. Additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma defended the action under blocking rules. X Corp objected that the blocks were disproportionate, as most content didn't violate Section 69A rules, and no hearing was provided to users.
MeitY’s blocking direction had affected 12 accounts, including these two, for allegedly spreading false narratives, deepfakes, and content harming public order or security.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav ruled for full account restoration, but said specific tweets flagged in the blocking orders must remain temporarily blocked pending review by a committee of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
These accounts, @DrNimoYadav (run by Prateek Sharma) and @Nehr_who (by Kumar Nayan), were blocked in India on March 18 on a MeitY directive under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. According to the ministry, the accounts featured defamatory posts using photos, videos and AI-manipulated content.
A review committee will now examine whether the content meets the legal threshold. If the tweets are found non-objectionable, the intermediary can restore them fully.
The court emphasised that the review committee must follow principles of natural justice, digital rights advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation, which is providing legal assistance to the petitioners in the case, said in a blog post.
The detailed order was not available on the Delhi High Court's website till press time Monday.
"This is a significant moment for due process in online speech cases," the foundation said in a post on X. "The upcoming review will be crucial in determining the limits of state power over online speech," it said in another post.
The petitioners, represented by Vrinda Grover, argued that no notice was given to them before issuing the blocking orders. Additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma defended the action under blocking rules. X Corp objected that the blocks were disproportionate, as most content didn't violate Section 69A rules, and no hearing was provided to users.
MeitY’s blocking direction had affected 12 accounts, including these two, for allegedly spreading false narratives, deepfakes, and content harming public order or security.