Delhi HC to Hear SFLC Plea Against Delhi Police X Account Takedown
SFLC.in challenges Delhi Police takedown notices for its X account and posts in the Delhi High Court, citing free speech violations.
The Delhi High Court is set to hear a critical plea on Friday filed by the digital rights organisation SFLC.in. The organisation is challenging two separate content takedown notices allegedly issued by the Delhi Police, which sought the removal or disabling of its X (formerly Twitter) account and several specific posts.
The Legal Battle Over Digital Presence
Filing the petition under Article 226 of the Constitution, SFLC.in and its authorised representative, Mamta Verma, are seeking to quash notices dated October 31 and November 2, 2026. These notices were purportedly issued under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
The petitioners have named several high-profile respondents in the matter, including:
- The Union Government
- Delhi Police
- The Special Commissioner of Police (Crime)
- The Ministry of Home Affairs
- X Corp
How the Controversy Began
According to the petition, the friction started when SFLC.in received a legal notice from an individual claiming to represent the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In response, the organisation took to X to report the receipt of this notice and expressed doubts regarding its authenticity.
Following this post, SFLC.in was notified by X that takedown requests had been made, allegedly by the Delhi Police. These requests targeted the handle @SFLCin and various URLs, citing reasons such as safety, security, hate speech, and defamation.
The Scale of the Takedown Requests
The petition highlights a significant escalation in the requests made to the social media platform:
- October 31 Notice: Allegedly identified two specific URLs for removal.
- November 2 Notice: A much broader request covering 42 URLs, which included four specific posts and the URL of the entire SFLC.in X account.
Allegations of Arbitrary Action
SFLC.in has slammed the notices as "arbitrary, unreasoned, and disproportionate." The organisation argues that targeting the entire account rather than specific offending content is an overreach that violates fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19(1)(a), and 21 of the Constitution, specifically the right to freedom of speech and expression.
Furthermore, the organisation has raised serious questions about the authenticity of the notices. SFLC.in claims that the documents provided via X lacked essential details, such as references to a First Information Report (FIR), a formal complaint, or any underlying court order that would justify such drastic action.
The digital rights body stated that it has already reached out to both X and the Delhi Police to verify if the notices were indeed officially issued by the authorities. The petition now seeks the complete quashing of these notices and corresponding relief from the court.