Haryana-based trust challenges government's social media account withholding amid farmers' protests
A legal challenge has been initiated in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by 'Gaon Savera' Trust and its journalist-editor Mandeep Singh, regarding the suspension of their 'X' and YouTube accounts.
These accounts were allegedly blocked following the Centre's directive, which cited concerns over national security and public order amid the coverage of the Farmers' Protest. The Trust, which operates the 'Gaon Savera' news platform across various digital media channels, is seeking the court's intervention to overturn the suspension notice issued by the social media giants.
According to the legal filing, the blockage came into effect on February 16, as the Trust's coverage on the Farmers' Protest was underway. 'X' communicated the suspension as a response to a "legal removal demand" from the Indian government, asserting a breach of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Similarly, YouTube received a government order to suspend the Trust's channel, purportedly to safeguard national security and maintain public order.
The Trust argues that the account and channel suspensions are unlawful, highlighting a lack of adherence to Section 69A of the IT Act, which mandates that any blocking orders must be content-specific and cannot extend to entire accounts or channels. They further contend that this move infringes on their constitutional right to freedom of expression.
Moreover, the Trust emphasizes the procedural lapses in the suspension process, including the absence of a preliminary notice about the contentious content, and the failure to provide a detailed rationale within the blocking order, deeming the action arbitrary and unjustified.
The case is represented by a team of legal professionals, including Senior Advocate R.S. Bains and Advocates Amar Jeet, M.S. Chauhan, Aarushi Garg, Aman Raj Bawa, Anmol Deep Singh, and Saurabh Bedi, who argue that the lack of clear communication from the respondents invalidates their actions.