Delhi High Court Seeks Centre, Meta's Response To Plea Against Blocking Of News Outlet Molitic's Facebook Page

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice on a plea filed against blocking of Facebook page of digital media platform Molitics on March 29. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav sought response of the Union Government through Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Home Affairs and Information And Broadcasting, as well as Delhi Police and Meta Platforms. The plea has been filed Molitics Infomedia Private Limited seeking restoration of the Facebook page of Molitics within the territory of India. It further seeks a direction on the authorities to give a copy of the Blocking Order along with the alleged objectionable content issued under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with all supporting material. During the hearing today, the counsel appearing for the Union Government said that as per the Rules, the intermediary “has to be answerable” as there is an additional due diligence on it. The Court then remarked that it needs a clear stand of the government on an affidavit, while also flagging that in each related matter, the stand is either modified or little varied. “We want everything on an affidavit. In each matter, the stand of the respondent is a little modified or varied or little improved. We want a clear mechanism which is properly understood by all concerned,” the Court remarked. Advocate Apar Gupta appearing for Molitics prayed for an immediate restoration of the Facebook page, saying that the platform has 42 working journalists. He said that he was willing to undertake and provide every undertaking for the same. The Court then issued notice and asked the respondents to justify in their response under which provision the said action is taken. The matter will now be heard on April 23. Molitics was represented by Advocates Apar Gupta, Rishav Ranjan and Naman Kumar. The plea contends that there has been a blanket ban of the Facebook Page across India pursuant to an undisclosed “notice from Government of India or law enforcement under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000”, without attaching any notice, reasons, or giving opportunity of hearing.As per Molitics, the said restriction goes beyond the statutory mandate prescribed under Section 79 (3) (b) read with Rule 3 (1) (d) of the IT Rules, 2021.“The present Petition seeks intervention of this Hon'ble Court to order immediate restoration, declare such the impugned restriction illegal, lay down guidelines to direct disclosure of the legal basis of such action, declare the arbitrary application of the Section 79 (3) (b) as unconstitutional, and lay down necessary procedural safeguards to ensure transparency, accountability, and protection of fundamental rights in cases involving online restrictions,” the plea states. It adds that Molitics news platform constitutes not only an exercise of its fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, but also one of the primary source of livelihood. The plea submits that no reasoned order or communication was furnished to the platform to date regarding blocking. “The absence of procedural safeguards and effective remedies violates Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. The Petitioner submits that such arbitrary and opaque exercise of power, coupled with the failure of statutory safeguards, entitles it not only restoration of his platform but also to appropriate compensation for the losses suffered. The restriction has resulted in loss of audience, reputational injury, and financial harm. Hence, the impugned action of blanket ban of its page in India is arbitrary and illegal,” the plea states. Title: MOLITICS INFOMEDIA PRIVATE LTD v. UNION OF INDIA & ORSCase No.: W.P.(C)-5033/2026

Delhi High Court Seeks Centre, Meta's Response To Plea Against Blocking Of News Outlet Molitic's Facebook Page

Nupur Thapliyal

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