The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a writ petition seeking directions to prevent the circulation of allegedly objectionable remarks made by influencer against Prophet Muhammad and to frame guidelines regulating such content on social media. The petition had sought directions for the removal of the content and safeguards against the dissemination of derogatory material targeting revered religious figures.

A Bench of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe declined to entertain the plea under Article 32 of the Constitution, observing orally that the filing of such petitions appeared to be aimed at sensationalising the issue.

Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Pulkit Agarwal argued that the matter raised important constitutional questions concerning the absence of a regulatory framework for objectionable content on social media. He submitted that with podcasts and reels reaching audiences across the country, the Court would eventually have to address the issue of online content regulation.

Justice Aradhe, however, questioned the maintainability of the plea, asking whether the petitioner was unaware of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009, suggesting that the existing statutory framework already provided mechanisms for addressing such grievances.

The petition arose after alleged derogatory remarks made by influencer Nazia Elahi Khan against Prophet Muhammad and his family during a podcast in June went viral on social media, following which multiple FIRs were reportedly registered against her. The writ petition had sought directions for the removal of the content from digital platforms and the formulation of guidelines to regulate online content.