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The Madras High Court connected Monday (May 13, 2026) stayed the cognition of a announcement issued by the Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu Police connected May 8, 2026, asking X Corp to instantly region oregon disable entree to 18 posts, which reportedly contained “provocative and politically delicate remarks susceptible of inciting nationalist unrest and disturbing nationalist tranquility”. Most of the flagged URLs/posts allegedly contained contented captious of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay
A summertime abrogation Bench of Justices L. Victoria Gowri and N. Senthilkumar granted the interim enactment pursuant to a nationalist involvement litigation (PIL) petition filed by P. Chockalingam, 55, North Tamil Nadu president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The petitioner had urged the tribunal to quash the announcement and contented a absorption to the Cyber Crime Wing not to stifle antiauthoritarian discussions connected societal media platforms.
The petitioner told the tribunal the constabulary had issued the announcement nether Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2008 and Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. They had listed retired 18 URLs of X (formerly Twitter) posts and claimed that they contained “unlawful content.”
“The posts are encouraging unlawful assembly, which could adversely impact the attraction of instrumentality and bid and could pb to nonaccomplishment of beingness and harm to nationalist property... I, being the authorised officer, hereby contented this announcement directing you to instantly region oregon disable entree to the identified relationship and each objectionable URLs,” the Cyber Crime Wing announcement read.
‘Raises law concerns’
Wondering however the constabulary could curb escaped code by mode of an omnibus announcement issued for a radical of 18 URLs, the writ petitioner said: “I americium constrained to authorities that the mode successful which specified directions person been issued raises superior law concerns touching upon the cardinal close to state of code and look guaranteed nether Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.”
The petitioner besides said: “I recognize that the affected relationship holders were neither informed of the allegations against them nor afforded immoderate meaningful accidental to respond earlier the issuance of the coercive removal/blocking directions. Even successful matters involving regularisation of online speech, law principles of earthy justice, fairness, and procedural safeguards cannot beryllium dispensed with.”
