The Supreme Court today directed the Union of India to consider a representation seeking mechanism for urgent reporting and URL-specific disabling of access in India to content including threats of physical violence, doxing, unauthorized disclosure of private details and non-consensual AI-generated content.

A bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana passed the order in a PIL filed by Advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami, who appeared in person. The petitioner raised a plethora of issues, including the harms of unauthorized online content, deepfakes and online threats.

The bench directed the respondents (MeitY, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Law and Justice) to look into the petitioner's representation and take remedial measures as may be required.

Briefly put, the PIL sought a direction to the respondent-authorities to consider the petitioner's representation dated June 22, 2026 in a timebound manner, preferably within 3 months. This representation sought a constitutionally compliant mechanism for urgent reporting, preservation, legal/judicial review and URL-specific disabling of access within India of cases involving:

- specific threats of physical violence, sexual violence or death;

- doxing creating reasonable apprehension of harm;

- unauthorized disclosure of private details, photographs, school details, location data or identity markers of minor children;

- non-consensual intimate, morphed, synthetic or AI-generated content;

- non-consensual deepfake or digitally manipulated impersonation causing immediate grave harm to safety, dignity, livelihood or reputation.

The petitioner further prayed that as an interim measure (until the consideration of his representation), aggrieved persons be enabled to approach the jurisdictional court, High Court or any other designated duty Court for URL-specific relief.

He also sought reliefs qua preservation of any content complained about. The plea further sought a clarification that the proposed directions will not authorize prior restraint or emergency takedown of political speeches, journalistic work, satire, fair criticism, etc.

Case: NARENDRA KUMAR GOSWAMI Versus UNION OF INDIA AND ORS. ,W.P.(C) No. 823/2026