The Delhi High Court will consider whether social media platforms can suspend or delete user accounts on the basis of copyright strikes, in a case arising from the suspension of content creator Saurabh Maurya’s Instagram account following copyright claims that were later found to be false.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani asked the parties to address whether such suspensions or deletions are consistent with principles laid down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India and the Delhi High Court in My*space Inc. v. Super Cassettes Industries Ltd.  *

Appearing for Mr. Maurya, senior advocate Diya Kapur, along with advocate Nakul Gandhi, submitted that third parties had uploaded his videos on other platforms, manipulated the dates of the uploads and subsequently issued copyright strikes claiming ownership of the content.

Acting on the claims, Meta suspended Mr. Maurya’s Instagram account, despite his contention that he was the original creator of the videos.

During the hearing, Meta informed the court that the copyright strikes had been found to be fake. It said the strikes had been reversed and Mr. Maurya’s account restored.

His counsel, however, argued that restoration of the account did not resolve the larger legal issue concerning the copyright-strike mechanism followed by social media platforms.

Taking note of the submissions, Justice Bhambhani directed the defendants to specifically address the issue in their replies. The court also recorded Meta’s statement that Mr. Maurya’s account had been restored.

The court posted the matter for hearing on September 24.

Published - August 12, 2026 01:12 am IST