Army Personnel Moves Delhi HC Against ‘Draconian’ Policy Requiring All Members Of Armed Forces To Delete Their Social Media Accounts Including Facebook, Instagram

A petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court against an order of the Director General of Military Intelligence, requiring all personnel in the Indian Army to delete Facebook, Instagram and 87 other social media applications. The petition has been filed by a serving lieutenant colonel, who is finding it difficult to connect with his family which resides outside India, in the absence of access to social media. He has submitted that he uses his Facebook account responsibly in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Indian Army from time to time. It is contended that the ban violates various fundamental rights of the Petitioner under the Constitution, including the right to freedom of speech and expression and right to privacy, whereas the power to modify fundamental rights of members of armed forces rests with the Parliament alone.