The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice on a plea challenging the practice of police authorities uploading photographs, videos, names and other details of accused persons on social media and other digital platforms, alleging that such publicity can prejudice their right to a fair trial and violate their dignity.

The plea also raises concerns regarding the absence of adequate policies by social media platforms, including Meta and X, to deal with such content uploaded by police authorities.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioner, informed the Bench that the social media platforms had been impleaded as parties and submitted that the existing policies of Meta and X did not specifically address such police-uploaded content.

The plea follows an earlier petition concerning the issue which was withdrawn in March 2026 with liberty to approach the Supreme Court with an enlarged scope. The present petition has accordingly brought the social media platforms themselves within its ambit.

The petitioner has also pointed out that although individual High Courts have issued guidelines concerning the publication of details of accused persons, there is a need for a more comprehensive and operational framework governing such practices across platforms and jurisdictions.

A Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana issued notice in the matter. The CJI also flagged the practical difficulty in regulating such content on social media platforms, observing that the issue could not be addressed simply by restricting access to the platforms.