Madras HC stays notice to block 18 posts on X

Chennai: Madras high court on Wednesday stayed the operation of notice issued by the Tamil Nadu cybercrime wing directing X to suspend/block 18 URLs/posts, including those shared by YouTuber Maridhas.A vacation bench of Justice L Victoria Gowri and Justice N Senthil Kumar passed the interim order on a plea moved by P Chockalingam, north Tamil Nadu president of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), challenging the notices. On May 8, the Tamil Nadu cybercrime wing ordered the blocking of several X accounts, alleging that they posted comments critical of the Tamil Nadu govt. In his plea, he stated that blocking X accounts on the ground that they disturb public peace, without properly examining whether the posts were merely political criticism, amounted to a violation of freedom of expression.The petition further contended that even accounts that posted criticism that neither incited violence nor threatened public order were blocked.On Wednesday, when the plea came up for hearing, the petitioner submitted that 18 social media accounts were blocked allegedly for posting political satire, but no reasons were provided for the action.Recording the submissions, the bench directed the TN govt to file its response and adjourned the hearing to June 8.