The Calcutta High Court demanded YouTube and X submit user IP logs in a ₹50 crore defamation case. This unprecedented order requires platforms to hand over anonymous user data in a "sealed cover", raising questions about privacy and judicial transparency. It stems from a defamation suit by Adani Enterprises against Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia over a video on Adani and PM Modi.
How We Got Here
The case began after Adani Enterprises sued Bhatia for defamation over his 36-minute video essay, "How Modi and Adani Stole India | The Friendship Files." YouTube had already geo-blocked the video in India shortly after its release, and Mumbai Police later asked X to take down 27 related posts.
The Numbers
- The ad-interim injunction also explicitly bars Sabeer Bhatia from re-sharing the video or any clips related to it.
- Intermediaries must submit "upload and access logs" in addition to IP logs for anonymous accounts, within two weeks of receiving the order.
- The Calcutta HC also ordered platforms to freeze any revenue generated from the URLs hosting copies of the video essay.
- The court has listed the next hearing for this temporary order on January 31, 2027.
- The "sealed cover" mechanism, where information is given only to judges and not part of the public record, is criticized by legal experts like Alok Prasanna Kumar for violating open court principles.
What Happens Next
🇮🇳 Why This Matters for India
For product managers building social platforms and engineers handling user data, this order sets a new, potentially difficult precedent for user privacy and platform liability in India's legal tech landscape.
The Take
The critical development is the court's specific demand for anonymous user IP logs in a sealed cover. This sets a worrying precedent for online anonymity and free expression, eroding user trust in platforms by giving courts broad powers to unmask users without public scrutiny.
Source:
MediaNama ↗