Delhi High Court asks Centre to respond on blocking of 'Nehr_Who?' X account

The Indian government has been asked to respond to a fresh court petition concerning the blocking of the popular political commentary X account, @Nehr_who. The Delhi High Court requested the government provide an explanation for the account's recent blocking, raising questions about access to information and transparency in government actions.

Kumar Nayan, who operates the @Nehr_who account, faced account suspension again, following earlier relief from the Delhi High Court in April 2023. The repeated blocking raised concerns as the account holder was not informed of the reasons, despite a previous court order mandating the sharing of blocking orders.

During court proceedings, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma questioned why blocking orders were not shared with the account holder, given that the content was publicly accessible. However, the Indian government's counsel stated that such orders are confidential in nature. The petition also claims the blocking order was not shared even after proceedings before an inter-departmental committee and was issued under Section 69A of the IT Act without stated reasons.

Nayan's petition highlights that the repeated blocking of the same account, initiated by different ministries, bypasses safeguards and violates his constitutional rights. The account is currently accessible and has over 249,000 followers.