High Court threatens to shut down Facebook in India

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This action comes as a direct response to Facebook's alleged lack of cooperation with the state police regarding an investigation into a case involving an imprisoned Indian citizen in Saudi Arabia.

The Karnataka High Court has recently issued a stern warning to Facebook, raising the possibility of taking measures to shut down the social media giant's operations in India. This action comes as a direct response to Facebook's alleged lack of cooperation with the state police regarding an investigation into a case involving an imprisoned Indian citizen in Saudi Arabia, as reported by the news agency IANS.

Additionally, the court has instructed the Central government to provide detailed information about the steps taken thus far in response to the arrest of an Indian citizen under false charges. The Mangaluru police have also been directed to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and submit a comprehensive report. The court hearing has been adjourned until June 22 to allow for further proceedings.

The warning from the Karnataka High Court was issued during the consideration of a petition submitted by Kavitha, a resident of Bikarnakatte near Mangaluru. In the petition, Kavitha detailed the circumstances surrounding her husband, Shailesh Kumar, who had been working in Saudi Arabia for 25 years while she remained in their hometown with their children. She explained that in 2019, Kumar had expressed his support for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through a message posted on Facebook.

Unfortunately, an unknown individual took advantage of this and created a fake Facebook account using Kumar's name, subsequently posting objectionable content that targeted the King of Saudi Arabia and Islam. Upon discovering this fraudulent account, Kumar informed his family, and Kavitha promptly filed a police complaint in Mangaluru. However, to their dismay, the Saudi authorities arrested Shailesh Kumar and imprisoned him. The Mangaluru police initiated an investigation into the matter and sought information from Facebook regarding the creation of the fake account. However, Facebook did not respond to the inquiries made by the police, leading to further frustration and delays in the case.

With concerns mounting over the prolonged investigation, Kavitha approached the High Court in 2021, seeking assistance and expressing her worries about the situation. She also wrote a letter to the central government, urging them to intervene and take necessary actions to secure her husband's release from prison.