The Supreme Court on Friday (May 8, 2026) sought a response from the Union Government on a petition filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) challenging an “illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional” order to geo-block and suspend the Meta handles of the national party’s Gujarat unit without giving any prior reasons, hearing or notice.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued notice to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the State of Gujarat on the petition filed by the party, which said the move was intended to “silence an Opposition party and is opposed to multi-party democracy”.
Independent media outlets and online critics: Far from a safe harbour
The AAP, represented by senior advocate Shadan Farasat, said the Gujarat unit’s Meta accounts @aapgujarat (on Instagram and Facebook) have functioned as official handles for political commentaries, dissemination of party policies and welfare-related information.
“They were used as legitimate platforms for political speech and democratic engagement, which fall squarely within the protection of Article 19 of the Constitution. Any action that has the effect f silencing or disproportionately restricting the voices of Opposition parties strikes at the heart of constitutional democracy and is liable to be scrutinised as a violation of the basic structure doctrine,” the AAP said.
