3 weeks ago
SC asks Centre to examine representation on online threats, deepfakes
The Supreme Court of India heard a case about dangerous things that happen online, like threats, sharing private addresses, and fake videos made with computers.
A lawyer named Narendra Kumar Goswami said that a woman's home address could be posted online with a threat at night and stay there.
The court agreed that the person bringing the case explained the problems very well.
The judges said that experts need to figure out how to detect and stop these online crimes.
The court told the government to look at the list of concerns and take action.
The concerns include death threats, sharing children's private information, and fake intimate pictures made by computers.
The person asking for help wanted a fast system to remove only the bad content, not to block free speech.
The court decided not to keep the case but to let the government handle it with help from other groups.
The Supreme Court disposed of a PIL seeking a time-bound, URL-specific mechanism to combat grave online harms.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed the Union government to consider the petitioner's representation and take remedial measures.
The representation, dated June 22, 2026, was addressed to the Ministries of Electronics and Information Technology, Home Affairs, and Law and Justice.
The PIL covered rape and death threats, doxxing, exposure of children's private details, and non-consensual intimate or deepfake content.
The petition argued that digital harms spread within minutes, outpacing conventional legal remedies, and did not propose censorship or blanket takedowns.
- Who
- A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, and the petitioner represented by advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami.
- What
- The court disposed of a PIL and directed the Union government to examine a representation on grave online harms, including threats, doxxing, children's private data, and non-consensual intimate or deepfake content.
- Where
- New Delhi.
- When
- Tuesday; the petitioner's representation was dated June 22, 2026.
- Why
- Because digital harms can spread within minutes while conventional legal remedies take considerably longer, creating a gap between the speed of online harm and the speed of legal response.
Key facts
- Institution
- Supreme Court of India
- Bench
- CJI Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana
- Representation date
- June 22, 2026
- Recipient ministries
- Electronics and Information Technology; Home Affairs; Law and Justice
- Petitioner's counsel
- Narendra Kumar Goswami
- Mechanism sought
- Time-bound, URL-specific, reasoned action under legal or judicial supervision
- Harm types covered
- Threats of violence, doxxing, children's private details, non-consensual intimate and deepfake content
- Venue
- New Delhi
Quotes
Advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami
Advocate representing the petitioner in the PIL
“At this stage, we direct respondent authorities, along with all other stakeholders, to look into the issues raised in the petitioner's representation and take such remedial measures as may be required.”
thehansindia.com
“Suppose a woman's home address is posted with a rape threat tonight, at 9 p.m. Will it be allowed to remain online at this stage?”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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