Journalists challenge Instagram reel blocking in Delhi court
Two independent journalists have filed a petition with the Delhi High Court seeking the restoration of a blocked Instagram reel. They are challenging the actions of Indian authorities that made their content inaccessible.
Two independent journalists, Shamsheer Yousaf and Monica Jha, have filed a writ petition with the Delhi High Court challenging the blocking of an Instagram reel concerning Google's under-construction AI data center in Andhra Pradesh. The petition seeks the restoration of the video, which has been inaccessible in India without a VPN since May 2026.
The 2:01-minute reel, co-posted with the Environmental Reporting Collective and the Dirty Data project, was geo-restricted by Instagram. The journalists argue this action violates due process and Supreme Court rulings that mandate transparency and justification for content blocking under India's Information Technology Act.
The petition names India's Ministry of Electronics and IT, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Delhi Police's IFSO unit, and Meta (Instagram) as respondents. The journalists cite previous court orders where content was restored after similar challenges, arguing they are similarly situated.
They contend that the blocking lacks proper justification and fails to adhere to the conditions set by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, which requires blocking orders to be grounded in specific legal provisions and follow established procedures. The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear the case again in July 2026.