Delhi High Court Refuses Immediate Relief for Party's Blocked Twitter Account

The Delhi High Court denied an immediate unblocking of the Cockroach Janta Party's Twitter account, directing a review by the statutory committee. The account was blocked on national security grounds. The court outlined the need for a holistic examination of the case and deferred interim relief, seeking a response from the Union Government.

The Delhi High Court, on Friday, declined to immediately restore the blocked Twitter account of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). However, it directed the statutory review committee to scrutinize the challenge against the blocking and document its decision. The order was passed by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav following a petition by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke.

Notices were issued to the Union Government and Twitter, granting the Centre four weeks to file a comprehensive response. Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal urged the court for an urgent restoration of the account, arguing that courts had previously allowed selective blocking of posts while restoring account access in similar cases. The court withheld any interim relief.

During the proceedings, discussions highlighted the evolving legal landscape regarding social media account blocking. Sibal emphasized the broader concerns related to account activities, not just isolated posts. The court chose not to examine the blocking order at this stage but asked the review committee to consider the petitioner's issues based on the framework of the Information Technology Rules.