The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, 8 April 2026, called for action on posts made by journalist Rana Ayyub on the social media platform X, which are alleged to have insulted Hindu deities and spread anti-India sentiment, as reported in LiveLaw.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav was hearing a plea filed by Amita Sachdeva seeking deletion of the tweets, alleging that they are derogatory, inflammatory, and communally sensitive. While issuing notice on the plea, the Court directed the Union of India, X Corp, Delhi Police, and Ayyub to file their responses by Thursday.
The Court observed that the matter required urgent consideration and directed the Delhi Police to transmit the relevant documents to X Corp. It stated, “Action is necessary in view of the highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal tweets by respondent no. 4 (Ayyub) pursuant to which even an FIR is directed to be registered against (Ayyub) on the directions of the court of competent jurisdiction,” the Court said.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on Friday.
According to the plea, Sachdeva alleged that Ayyub, through her tweets, had not only insulted Hindu deities but also defamed Veer Savarkar and the Indian Army. The tweets in question, numbering six, date back to the period between 2013 and 2017.
Sachdeva, who stated that she is a devout follower of Sanatan Dharma, had earlier filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal seeking criminal action against Ayyub over the social media posts. Subsequently, an FIR was ordered against Ayyub after a trial court observed that “prima-facie” cognizable offences were made out against her under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
In the fresh petition before the High Court, Sachdeva sought deletion of the posts on X, stating that they prima facie disclose the offences in question.
As per the petition, Sachdeva had approached X Corp’s Grievance Appellate Committee, which declined relief on the ground that the matter was sub judice. The plea stated: ”Despite the complete exhaustion of the remedies available under Rules 3(2) and 3A of the IT Rules, 2021, of the IT Intermediary Guidelines, the offending tweets continue to remain publicly accessible worldwide as on date. The continued availability of the impugned content is causing ongoing injury to religious sentiments, disturbing communal harmony, and rendering the judicial directions ineffective,” the plea said.
It was further submitted that in May last year, the Delhi Police had informed the trial court that details of Ayyub’s X account and the alleged tweets were awaited and that the posts were not available on the platform.
Sachdeva also alleged that Ayyub had consistently used her social media platforms to insult Hindu deities, malign the fabric of Indian unity, and promote hostility toward India and its citizens, including the Indian Army. She further stated that despite repeated follow-ups, no action had been taken on her complaint.
Subsequently, she filed an application under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking registration of an FIR against the journalist.
What Did Rana Ayyub Post
In her complaint, Advocate Sachdeva alleged that journalist Rana Ayyub had published multiple objectionable posts on X (formerly Twitter) between 2013 and 2017. These posts were disrespectful towards Hindu deities, carried anti-India overtones, and had the potential to incite communal tensions. She further stated that, given Ayyub’s public influence, the content was inflammatory and capable of disturbing social harmony.
To support her claims, Sachdeva referred to specific posts, asserting that they reflected a pattern of misleading assertions and remarks critical of Hindu beliefs.
In one post in 2015, she derogated Veer Savarkar and wrote (and this post still exists till date), “So Veer Savarkar advocated rape as necessary component of Hindutva nationalism”
In another post from 2013, Rana Ayyub derogated Lord Rama and wrote, “Ravana didn’t touch Sita even though he could. Ram didn’t stand for Sita even though he should have. Ravana 1 Ram 0.”
It is noteworthy that this post still can be accessed on X (at the time of publishing this post).
In a post from 2014, Rana Ayyub mocked Sita Mata and Draupadi and wrote, “Gareeb Sita ke ghar pe kab tak rahegi Ravan ki hukmrani, Draupadi ka libas uske badan se kab tak chhina karega.”
At the time of publishing this article, the post still exists.
Rana Ayyub also published posts criticising the Indian Army. In one such post from 2016, she wrote, “Dear Indian Army, am guessing this young kid was quite a threat to the sovereignty of India to be blinded for life.”
As per the court order, these posts must now be taken down.
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