SANATAN SANSTHA Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Mr. Sanjeev Pulalekar learned Counsel for the Petitioner, Mr. Pravin Faldessai, learned Assistant Solicitor General for Respondents No.1 and 2, Mr. Zal Andhyarujina, learned Senior Advocate who appears along with Mr. Raghav Seth for Respondents No.3 and Mr. D. Khambata, learned Senior Advocate with Mr. Vivek Reddy, Ms. Preeti Kolluri, Mr. Ram Kakkar, Advocates for Respondent No.4.

(2.) The Petitioner, in this case, claims to be a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), a registered Public Charitable Trust, having its Ashram at Ramanathi, Ponda, Goa. The Petitioner claims to have created Facebook pages on the social media platform, popularly known as 'Facebook' operated by Respondents No.3 and 4. The Petitioner claims that they would use these pages to spread the essence of their spirituality and allied matters. The Petitioner claims that lakhs of persons have visited these Facebook pages of the Petitioner and benefited from the contents posted by them on this platform.

(3.) The Petitioners have pleaded that after about 10 years, Respondents No.3 and 4, without assigning any reasons and without there being any order from any Government Agencies, blocked the Facebook pages of the Petitioner, thereby disabling the Petitioner from communicating or propagating its philosophy through the Facebook pages and disabling the members of the public from accessing the information which the Petitioner used to post on such Facebook pages.