Supreme Court orders restoration of AAP Gujarat's Facebook, Instagram accounts
Court allows party’s application subject to removal of objectionable posts, if any, and posts main case for hearing after two weeks
On August 17, 2026, the Supreme Court ordered the restoration of the Instagram and Facebook accounts belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Gujarat unit. The court's decision came after an interim application filed by the party, which challenged what it deemed an "illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional" order to geo-block and suspend the accounts without providing a reason, hearing, or prior notice.
The AAP had argued that the decision to suspend the party's Facebook and Instagram accounts, @aapgujarat on the platforms, violated Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to free speech. The party's spokesperson, Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat, claimed that the accounts were used as legitimate platforms for political commentary, dissemination of party policies, and welfare-related information.
Farasat contended that the ban on the accounts amounted to a prior restraint on free speech, which is incompatible with constitutional democracy.
The court, in its order, directed the restoration of the accounts but stipulated that any objectionable posts must be removed. The main case was subsequently postponed for two weeks.
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