Delhi HC Directs Social Media Platforms To Submit SOPs For Dealing With Law Enforcement Agencies' Requests For Information On ‘Missing Persons’

The Court said that to ensure that such delay and lag does not impede the process of tracing out missing persons who are sometimes even children and minors, it is necessary that proper timelines ought to be adhered to by the concerned online platforms and their concerned officials.

The Court was hearing a Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India read with Section 482 of the Cr.P.C. seeking issuance of a Writ of Habeas Corpus, thereby directing the Respondent to produce her son aged 19 years who has been missing for more than 9 months.

The bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Amit Sharma observed, “The platforms shall place on the next date, their standard operating protocol for dealing with requests for information from law enforcement agencies including the timelines.”

Advocate Tejas Karia appeared for the Respondent.

The Court said, “This Court has noticed that in some habeas corpus Petitions, that there is a lag between the seeking of information by police and receipt of the same from various platforms. The Court, has time and again, requested counsels appearing for these platforms, to enable furnishing of the information expeditiously.”

The Court further noted, “It is also necessary that the IOs are also properly acclimatised to the manner in which requests ought to be posted, how the portal is to be monitored and immediately upon receipt how the same is to be downloaded from these platforms.”

The Court listed the matter on October 8, 2024.