The Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled that authorities must provide social media users with copies of any notices sent to platforms to block their content simultaneously. The court set aside a police notice that led Meta to block the Facebook page of Haryana 24 News Network, ordering the police to instruct Meta to restore the page within 24 hours of receiving a certified copy of the order dated October 5, according to medianama.com.
The court found the police notice invalid because it was issued by a Superintendent of Police instead of an officer not below the rank of Deputy Inspector General, as required under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act and related IT Rules. Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya described the police action as an arbitrary exercise of power. Additionally, the court mandated that any future notices sent to Meta to block content must also be shared with the affected user immediately after being sent to the platform.
This ruling clarifies procedural requirements under the IT Act for content-blocking notices, emphasizing user rights to be informed of government actions affecting their online content. It challenges prior practices where users were not notified, reinforcing transparency and due process. The case involved Meta’s compliance with the police notice to block a news outlet’s Facebook page, highlighting the intersection of law enforcement and social media regulation in India.
The court’s directive requires the Haryana Police to restore the blocked Facebook page within 24 hours of receiving the certified order. It also establishes that any subsequent notices to block content must be simultaneously shared with the user, ensuring greater accountability in content regulation under Indian law.