Delhi High Court Orders LinkedIn to Reveal User Details in Judiciary Contempt Case
The Delhi High Court has directed LinkedIn to share user details of an account that posted allegedly derogatory remarks about the Indian judiciary.
The order was passed while the Court was hearing a suo motu criminal contempt case linked to a post published on LinkedIn. The Bench comprising Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja said that identifying the person behind the post was crucial to decide the contempt proceedings.
The Court observed that the post appeared to undermine public confidence in the judiciary and could interfere with the administration of justice. Based on this, criminal contempt proceedings were initiated against advocate Sanjucta Kabasi.
However, during the hearing, Kabasi denied owning or operating the LinkedIn account from which the post was made. In view of this denial, the Court asked LinkedIn to disclose the identity and account details of the person who created the account and uploaded the post.
The Court also directed the Delhi Police Cyber Cell to submit a detailed report. The report must include the date when the post was created, the IP address used, details of post removal if any, and the date of creation of the LinkedIn account.
The Cyber Cell has been given two weeks to submit its findings. The matter will be heard next on March 11. Advocate Harsh Prabhakar assisted the Court as amicus curiae, while Kabasi appeared in person.
