The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notices to commentator Abhijit Iyer Mitra, search and social media platforms Google and X, and several legal portals and media outlets following a lawsuit filed by Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das over the public disclosure of his personal details.
Justice Sachin Datta sought responses from all named respondents on both the main suit and an application for interim relief, setting the next hearing for Sept. 14. The court also allowed the plaintiff additional time to submit a revised memo of parties to correctly implead the defendants. During the hearing, the court was informed that X, formerly known as Twitter, had already taken down the posts containing Das’s home address.
Injunctions and Content Removal Sought
In his petition, Das requested damages alongside permanent and mandatory injunctions to restrain the defendants from recording, publishing, or disseminating his residential location and personal information. He asked the court to mandate that digital platforms and publishers restrict public access to and delete all videos and posts exposing his details.
According to the suit, Das has resided in a rented apartment in Greater Kailash since last year. He alleged that the respondents unlawfully gathered and repeatedly published his address, personal background, details regarding his parents, and his sexual orientation. The filing further asserted that specific defendants trespassed into his shared living premises, recorded footage of the interior, and uploaded the media to X.
Security Threat and History of Hostility
To substantiate his claims of elevated risk, Das presented social media videos demonstrating that his public interest disclosures, journalistic work, and political activities have previously made him a target for hostility and violent threats. He argued that the continuous online distribution and amplification of his exact home address creates a clear and foreseeable threat of physical violence to his security at his residence.
