Court Challenges Government's Social Media Block on Hindutva Watch

The Delhi High Court is hearing a petition challenging the Centre's decision to block Hindutva Watch’s entire social media account. Social media platform X criticizes the block as 'disproportionate' and unlawful, advocating for the removal of specific posts instead. The case focuses on the legality under the IT Act and constitutional provisions.

The Delhi High Court is currently examining a petition challenging the Indian government's decision to block the entire social media account of 'Hindutva Watch.' The block was based on alleged offending posts, which social media giant 'X' (formerly Twitter) has labeled as 'disproportionate' and contrary to the law.

In an affidavit, X Corp. informed the court that the government's blocking order lacked proper justification and transparency. 'It is admitted that respondent no. 1's non-disclosure of relevant material to the affected party renders the right to be heard meaningless,' X stated, emphasizing that the affected party could not properly counter the evidence against them.

Journalist Raqib Hameed, founder of Hindutva Watch, filed the petition to overturn the blocking order and requested the court to demand the government produce the necessary records justifying the block. X argued that a less rights-infringing approach would be to remove specific offending posts rather than blocking the entire account. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had initially proposed the block of certain URLs and posts in January 2024, citing potential incitement to violence and public disorder, which X contested as unfounded. The court will hear the case again on October 3.

(With inputs from agencies.)