The Delhi High Court on August 17 directed Meta to disclose the material on which it disabled Instagram accounts belonging to stock market analyst Aakanksha Gupta. Gupta, a Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)-registered research analyst, had multiple accounts restricted by Meta, including one taken down citing community standards on "adult sexual solicitation," an allegation she denies, according to medianama.com.
Gupta sued Meta after repeatedly requesting the company to provide the basis for its enforcement actions but did not receive any response. The court order requires Meta to place on record the evidence supporting its decision to disable her accounts. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani emphasized the need for transparency, stating that Meta must reveal the material behind its actions against Gupta’s accounts, per medianama.com.
This ruling highlights enforcement challenges under Rule 4(8) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which mandates large platforms to notify users with reasons and allow them to dispute content removal. Platforms rarely disclose such evidence, making this case significant for digital rights and content moderation accountability in India’s regulatory framework, as reported by medianama.com.
The court’s directive aims to enforce compliance with grievance mechanisms designed to protect users from opaque content takedowns. Gupta’s case is among the few where judicial intervention has compelled a major platform to reveal its enforcement rationale, setting a precedent for similar disputes under India’s IT rules, medianama.com stated.