NEW DELHI, September 1 — The Delhi High Court has issued a notice in response to a plea filed by National Conference Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, challenging the restriction imposed on his Facebook account.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the matter was heard by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma. Mehdi’s counsel informed the court that the Member of Parliament’s access to his Facebook page had been completely blocked without any prior notification.
Appearing on behalf of Meta Platforms, the counsel stated that the page was taken down following a notice from a law enforcement agency. The counsel requested additional time to present this notice to the court.
However, Mehdi’s legal representative argued that the petitioner had not been apprised of any alleged violation or the specific grounds leading to the restriction of his account. The counsel further contended that Meta was obligated to adhere to the grievance redressal mechanism stipulated under the Information Technology Rules.
Mehdi’s counsel informed the court that the parliamentarian had approached the company’s designated grievance redressal officer, but had not received a response within the mandated 24-hour timeframe. The petitioner’s counsel also asserted that no particular content from Mehdi’s Facebook page had been identified as objectionable.
Following the submissions from both sides, the High Court issued the notice to the respondents, directing them to submit their respective replies. The court has scheduled the next hearing for September 30.
The Chenab Times News Desk