Court Directs Meta, X to Preserve Posts in Parvesh Verma Defamation Case against Saurabh Bhardwaj

New Delhi: A Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday directed social media platforms Meta and X to preserve posts, media files, metadata and related digital records linked to a defamation complaint filed by Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma against AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Neha Mittal passed the interim order on an application moved by Bhardwaj, the proposed accused. Verma’s complaint is based on social media posts connected to the S S Mota Singh school.

The court directed Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corp. to preserve the posts, media files, metadata, server logs, registration records and IP history relating to the posts listed in Tables A and B of the application until the next date of hearing.

It also restrained the complainant, his associates and co-administrators from deleting, deactivating, hiding, restricting access to, editing or otherwise altering any part of the posts, profiles, photographs and reels mentioned in the application tables.

“Accordingly, the complainant and his associates and co-administrators are restrained from deleting, de-activating, hiding, restricting access to, editing or otherwise altering any part of the posts, profiles, photographs and reels listed in Tables of the application, till the next date of hearing,” the court ordered on September 1.

The order, along with copies of the tables, is to be served on Meta and X through the email addresses mentioned in the application.

Advocate Rajat Bhardwaj, appearing for Saurabh Bhardwaj, had sought urgent preservation of the digital evidence, arguing that the application would become infructuous if the material was deleted before its disposal. The plea was opposed by advocate Praveen Kumar, counsel for Verma.

The court listed the matter for reply and arguments on the application, as well as rebuttal arguments on the point of cognisance, for September 9, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. It had earlier issued notice to Bhardwaj to file his response on cognisance of the complaint.

(With inputs from ANI)