On 18 March 2026, the Union Government issued a directive to X under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, ordering the silent blocking of thirteen accounts – among them @DrNimoYadav and @Nehr_who for peddling hate against India and spreading fake news for years. What happened next was not accidental. It was a system working exactly as designed.
Sequence of Events
Prateek Sharma moved the Delhi High Court after receiving a notification from X that his account had been withheld and claimed in court that his ‘livelihood was affected’.
Within days, both operators were pointed toward a Delhi-based organisation that has quietly positioned itself as the go-to legal machinery for digital rights cases in India – the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF).
No coordinated effort is complete without a favourable media narrative. The Wire and Alt News took responsibility for building that narrative in support of the two handles framing the blocking as an attack on free speech and satire, ensuring maximum public sympathy for the petitioners.
The Legal Machine
IFF assembled a ten-member legal team to represent the two petitioners: Vrinda Grover, Nakul Gandhi, Apar Gupta, Siddhi Sahoo, Gurdeep Singh, Soutik Banerjee, Devika Tulsiani, Indumugi C., Naman Kumar, and Avanti Deshpande. Senior advocate Vrinda Grover argued before Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court that the March 18 blocking order was “totally illegal and arbitrary” and fell entirely outside the scope of Section 69A. Even X Corp sided with the petitioners – writing to MeitY on March 19 itself that the blocking order was “disproportionate” and did not comply with Section 69A requirements.
On 6 April 2026, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court ordered immediate restoration of both accounts, while keeping the specific objectionable tweets under temporary block. The operators were also directed to appear before a MEITY review committee to determine the final status of the blocked posts.
What Is IFF?
Founded in the aftermath of the SaveTheInternet.in net neutrality campaign, IFF has spent nearly a decade building deep institutional experience in fighting Section 69A blocking orders, precisely the kind of cases that land on its desk most frequently.
At the centre of IFF stands Apar Gupta – a practicing advocate registered with the Bar Council of Delhi, a graduate of Columbia University School of Law, and a recipient of the Ashoka Fellowship in 2019, awarded for “creating a model for digital rights advocacy in the country that is driven by the public, for the public.” He served as IFF’s founding Executive Director from 2018 to November 2023, stepped away briefly, and returned as Founder Director in November 2024.
Who Funds IFF?
IFF’s documented organisational donors include:
- Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiative
- FOSS United Foundation
- Wingify Foundation
- UNESCO
- Boston Consulting Group
Azim Premji and the Wipro group remain the biggest financial backbone of the left ecosystem in India. They are also behind the Indian Philanthropy and Social Markets Foundation (IPSMF), which funds The Wire, Alt News, and nearly every major left-leaning digital media outlet in the country. The money flows in a circle and the circle is tight.
The Question That Needs to Be Asked
IFF describes itself as a digital rights advocacy organisation. Yet the pattern of who it helps and who it does not, is impossible to ignore.
IFF has never represented right-wing accounts such as String Reveals or other X handles when their accounts were suspended or blocked. No writ petition was filed on their behalf. No team of senior advocates assembled. No favourable coverage in The Wire or Alt News.
Inside Story: The Unblocking of Nimo Yadav and Nehr Who’s Accounts
The true elegance of left ecosystem lies in the intricate and expansive network of specialized agencies it has established for each distinct function. Though these entities may appear diverse and operate through… pic.twitter.com/3nAUb5c3CM
— STAR Boy TARUN (@Starboy2079) April 8, 2026
The digital rights of those who challenge the left ecosystem, it appears, are not rights worth defending.
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