Social media platform X has informed the Delhi High Court that notices seeking the blocking of the social media accounts of the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) and the Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC) were sent by an imposter impersonating the Delhi Police.
Appearing before Justice Amit Mahajan on Friday, November 6, counsel for X Corp, formerly Twitter, said the platform had conducted an internal investigation after receiving the purported takedown notices and found that they had not originated from the Delhi Police.
#Breaking X (formerly Twitter) tells the Delhi High Court that the notices to block the Internet Freedom Foundation and Software Freedom Law Centre (SFLC) accounts were issued by an "imposter" and not the Delhi Police. X says it has already filed a complaint with the Delhi Police against the imposter, and IFF and SFLC’s accounts will not be taken down. @internetfreedom @SFLCin
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) November 6, 2026
X further informed the court that it had not acted on the notices and would not take down the accounts of either organisation. The platform has also lodged a police complaint seeking an investigation into the identity of the individual responsible for sending the fake communications.
“We did not act on it. Notices are not sent by the Delhi Police. We filed a complaint with the Delhi Police last night to find the impostor,” X’s counsel told the court.
The court was hearing separate petitions filed by IFF and SFLC challenging the notices that purportedly directed X to block their respective accounts.
Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the two organisations, told the court that the communications claimed to have been issued by the Special Commissioner of Police. However, their authenticity had come under serious doubt.
Sibal said the organisations had approached the concerned authority seeking confirmation about whether the notices were genuine but had received no response.
“If it is genuine then it is most troubling,” Sibal submitted, while also referring to another legal notice he had received purportedly on behalf of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which allegedly did not contain details of the lawyer issuing it.
X’s counsel subsequently informed the court that its internal inquiry had established that someone had impersonated the Delhi Police to send the takedown requests. The platform also confirmed that the accounts of IFF and SFLC would remain accessible.
Taking note of X’s submissions and its decision not to act on the purported notices, Justice Amit Mahajan disposed of the petitions.
The episode has raised questions about the potential misuse of legal takedown mechanisms used by authorities to seek the removal or blocking of content on social media platforms. The impersonation of a law enforcement agency to trigger such action also highlights the risks posed by fraudulent communications masquerading as official government directives.
With X now approaching the Delhi Police, the investigation is expected to establish who sent the notices and how they were made to appear as though they originated from the police department.
