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The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear on Friday a plea filed by digital rights organisation SFLC.in challenging two purported content takedown notices allegedly issued by the Delhi Police seeking the removal or disabling of its X account and certain posts published from it.
The petition, filed under Article 226 of the Constitution, seeks the quashing of notices dated October 31 and November 2, 2026, purportedly issued under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, read with Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. SFLC.in and its authorised representative, Mamta Verma, have made the Union Government, Delhi Police, the Special Commissioner of Police (Crime), the Ministry of Home Affairs and X Corp respondents in the matter. According to the petition, the disputed notices sought action against SFLC.ins X handle, @SFLCin, as well as certain posts published from the account. The petitioners have termed the notices arbitrary, unreasoned and disproportionate, alleging that they violate their rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution. The controversy, according to the petition, began after SFLC.in received a legal notice from an individual claiming to represent the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The organisation subsequently published a post on X reporting the notice and expressing concerns regarding its authenticity. SFLC.in thereafter received communications from X informing it of takedown requests purportedly made by the Delhi Police. The requests allegedly identified several URLs, including the organisations entire X account and certain posts, citing grounds including defamation, hate speech and safety or security. According to the petition, one of the notices dated October 31 allegedly identified two URLs, while another notice dated November 2 covered 42 URLs, including the URL of SFLC.ins X account and four posts published by it. The petition has questioned the inclusion of the entire X account in the takedown requests and alleged that the action was arbitrary and disproportionate. SFLC.in has also raised questions regarding the authenticity and validity of the purported notices. It claimed that the documents received through X did not provide complete particulars of any underlying court order, FIR or complaint forming the basis for the action. The organisation said it sought verification and clarification from the Delhi Police and X regarding whether the notices had in fact been issued by the police authorities. It has further contended that the purported action violates its fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression and sought the quashing of the impugned notices and consequential relief. (ANI)
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