The Karnataka High Court has directed Meta Platforms to restore the Facebook page ‘Dileep Gowda Kunigal’, which had been geo-blocked in India after police action over video content linked to a clash during a Milad-un-Nabi procession in Bengaluru.
The interim order was passed by Justice C.M. Poonacha while hearing a writ petition filed by T.N. Dileep, also known as Dileep Gowda Kunigal. The petitioner said the Facebook page, which had more than 1.55 lakh followers, remained inaccessible in India even after the links identified as objectionable were removed.
The court directed the investigating officer at Basavanagudi police station to instruct Meta Platforms to restore the petitioner’s social-media accounts. The order named Meta Platforms Incorporated and Meta Platforms Technologies India Private Limited as respondents and directed that notices be issued to both companies.
At the same time, the court instructed the petitioner to strictly comply with an order issued by a magistrate’s court on August 27, 2026. Under that direction, the petitioner was required to remove the objectionable links from the Facebook page. The High Court’s interim direction therefore links restoration of access with compliance with the earlier content-removal order.
The case relates to an incident on K.R. Road in Basavanagudi on August 26, 2026, when two groups reportedly clashed during a Milad-un-Nabi procession. A complaint filed by procession organiser Abdul Razak Khan alleged that Puneeth Kerehalli of the Rashtra Rakshana Pade, along with Gopi Gowda, Puneeth Gowda, Chetan Naik and others, obstructed the procession, raised slogans and abused participants.
Basavanagudi police registered a first information report under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita based on the complaint. Dileep had shared a video containing visuals of the incident on his Facebook page. The magistrate’s court subsequently directed Meta, X, Google and YouTube to remove the objectionable links.
According to the petitioner’s submissions, an email was sent to Meta’s grievance-redressal division seeking restoration of the page after the links were removed, but no relief followed. The High Court’s order now places the investigating officer in the process of communicating the restoration direction to Meta while keeping the earlier content-removal obligation in force.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on November 12, when the court is expected to consider responses from the Meta entities. The interim order does not conclude the underlying proceedings or determine the final legal status of the disputed content.
