New Delhi, 10 April (H.S.):

The Central government and Delhi Police informed the Delhi High Court on Friday that social media platform X risks forfeiting its legal immunity in India should it persist in ignoring takedown requests for posts by journalist Rana Ayyub deemed offensive to Hindu deities and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Justice Prabh Deep Kaurav scheduled the next hearing for May 19.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma argued that despite Delhi Police notices in September and December 2025, and a Saket Court directive in January 2025 mandating an FIR against Ayyub, X failed to remove the content. How can safe harbour shield non-compliance with court orders and police summons? Sharma queried.

X's counsel countered that writ petitions target governmental entities, not private platforms, urging action against Ayyub directly under IT Act Section 69A. Ayyub's advocate Vrinda Grover deemed the petition non-maintainable, prompting the court to mandate her response.

This follows the High Court's April 8 rebuke of Ayyub's 2013-2017 tweets as derogatory, incendiary, and communal, directing coordinated remediation by X, police, and authorities. Petitioner Amita Sachdeva, a Sanatan Dharma adherent, cited seven tweets insulting Ram, Sita, Savarkar, and Hindu nationalism as profoundly wounding, after Saket Court's FIR order—despite X claiming the posts' removal.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar