Delhi HC asks Centre, Meta to respond to NC MP Mehdi’s plea against FB page suspension

MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi. File | Photo Credit: Imran Nissar The Delhi High Court on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) sought responses from the Centre and Meta Platforms on a petition filed by National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi challenging the suspension of his Facebook page.Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued notices to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, seeking their replies to the plea.The court posted the matter for hearing on September 30 but declined to grant any interim relief to Mr. Mehdi at this stage, observing that no order could be passed without hearing the other side.During the hearing, Meta’s counsel told the court that the MP’s Facebook page had been taken down pursuant to a notice issued by a law enforcement agency. The counsel sought time to place the relevant documents on record.According to the petition, Mr. Mehdi, a Lok Sabha member and religious leader, operates a Facebook page titled “Ruhullah Mehdi”, which he uses to disseminate information, communicate with constituents and participate in public and democratic discourse.The plea said access to the page remained restricted since March following a notice issued under the Information Technology Act.Mr. Mehdi alleged that Meta took the action without giving him an opportunity to be heard or providing detailed reasons for restricting the page.“The statutory framework permits the removal or disabling of access to specific unlawful content upon due process; however, it does not contemplate or authorise a blanket restriction on an entire account or page without identifying specific offending material and without adherence to the limitations prescribed under Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India,” the plea said.It further contended that the Facebook page was not merely a platform for exercising Mr. Mehdi’s right to freedom of speech and expression but also an important means of professional engagement and public outreach. Published - September 01, 2026 08:04 pm IST