The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre and social media platforms on a plea seeking safeguards against police uploading photographs and videos of accused persons on social media in a manner that could prejudice their right to a fair trial and violate their dignity.
A three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana issued notice to Meta and X (formerly Twitter). While issuing notice, the Bench flagged the practical difficulty of regulating content once it enters the digital ecosystem.
The petition follows an earlier plea filed by the petitioner on the same issue, which was withdrawn in March 2026 with liberty to approach the Court with a wider challenge. At that stage, the Court had indicated that guidelines being considered in separate proceedings concerning police media briefings could potentially extend to police posts on social media.
The fresh petition has therefore impleaded Meta and X and seeks safeguards against the publication and dissemination of photographs and videos of accused persons by police authorities.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the platforms had been made parties because their existing policies do not specifically deal with such content uploaded by police authorities. Counsel submitted that neither policy covers the matter, to which the CJI agreed, stating that such coverage is necessary.
Sankaranarayanan further submitted that several High Courts had already issued guidelines on the issue, but a uniform and effective mechanism was required to regulate police-generated content circulated through social media. The issue has previously come before various High Courts.
In May 2025, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Chandigarh DGP to frame guidelines governing the uploading of photographs and videos recorded by police personnel during official duties. The Court stressed that publication should not prejudice investigations, victims or accused persons.
In January 2026, the Rajasthan High Court directed the immediate removal of photographs of arrested persons from social media and other online platforms after concerns were raised over images of arrestees being circulated publicly. The Court observed that such practices could infringe the dignity and fundamental rights of arrested persons and undermine the presumption of innocence.
Following further directions from the Rajasthan High Court in May 2026, the Rajasthan Police issued a Standard Operating Procedure prohibiting police personnel from uploading or sharing photographs or videos of arrested persons on social media or with the press.
The Supreme Court’s latest intervention brings the issue into focus at the national level, particularly in light of the rapid and often irreversible dissemination of police-generated content through social media platforms.
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