MUMBAI:
Mumbai Police have issued legal notices to 24 users of social media platform X for sharing content linked to a controversial documentary posted by technology entrepreneur Sabeer Bhatia.
The notices were issued on October 18 following a complaint alleging that posts linked to the documentary contained false and disparaging claims about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani. The complaint claimed that the circulation of the content had harmed the reputation and public image of a prominent business conglomerate.
According to the notices, the posts could attract action under Sections 352 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of peace and defamation. The account holders and the platform were asked to review the content and remove or disable access to the posts in question.
Some users reportedly deleted the video clips, while others shared copies of the police notices online and questioned the action. Bhatia, who co-founded Hotmail in 1996, said he had complied with a police request to remove certain posts but criticised the move, arguing that it curtailed freedom of expression.
The action has triggered debate over the balance between preventing allegedly defamatory online content and protecting freedom of speech. The allegations contained in the documentary and the complaint have not been established through a judicial finding.