May 8, 2026: Supreme Court of India on Friday sought responses from the Centre and the Gujarat government on a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party challenging the suspension of its Gujarat unit’s Instagram and Facebook accounts ahead of local body polls. The party alleged that the social media handles were suspended on April 25, just a day before voting, and requested the court to examine the reasons behind the action.
The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Centre and Gujarat government on AAP’s plea challenging the suspension of its Gujarat unit’s Instagram and Facebook accounts ahead of local body elections.
Supreme Court of India on Friday sought responses from the Centre and the Gujarat government on a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party challenging the suspension of its Gujarat unit’s Instagram and Facebook accounts ahead of local body polls. The party alleged that the social media handles were suspended on April 25, just a day before voting, and requested the court to examine the reasons behind the action.
The petition, filed by advocate Siddhant Sharma, sought guidelines and procedural safeguards for blocking or suspending official social media accounts of registered political parties. The plea argued that such actions directly affect the fundamental right to free speech guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. A bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe issued notices to both governments and directed that the case be tagged with a related matter pending before a bench headed by Surya Kant.
Senior advocate Shadan Farasat argued that Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act could not be used as the basis for suspending social media accounts, stating that the provision relates to “safe harbour” protections for intermediaries. AAP also requested the court to declare the suspension unconstitutional and insisted that any future action against political party accounts should only occur after prior notice, written reasons and strict adherence to constitutional safeguards under Article 19(2) and Section 69A of the IT Act.