The Delhi High Court has directed the restoration of the YouTube channel “4PM” after temporarily suspending only the videos identified as objectionable by authorities. The court passed the order while hearing a plea challenging the government’s blocking action against the popular news and commentary channel.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said the dispute should continue before the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC), while balancing concerns raised by the government and the rights of the petitioners.
Background of the Case
The petitioners approached the High Court seeking quashing of the blocking order issued against their YouTube channel “4PM” and restoration of public access to its content in India. According to the plea, the channel had nearly 83 lakh subscribers and received around 1.45 crore monthly views before it was blocked.
The petition stated that on March 12, 2026, YouTube informed the channel owners that it had received directions from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, to block the channel. Later, the petitioners were informed that the action related to concerns of “national security or public order.”
The petitioners also told the court that 27 individual videos had separately been blocked and argued that the final order of the IDC dated March 24, 2026, was never supplied to them.
Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the reasons for blocking the channel had not been properly communicated. He submitted that without access to the blocking order, the petitioners could not effectively defend themselves before the authorities.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma defended the government’s action and argued that the content uploaded on the channel was detrimental to India’s “national security, sovereignty and public order.”
However, the court noted that the channel had uploaded nearly 50,000 videos, while only around 26 videos were alleged to be objectionable. Referring to earlier similar cases, the bench observed that courts had previously allowed channels to continue operating while proceedings before the IDC remained pending.
“The Court finds that the instant petition can be disposed of by balancing the equities,” the bench observed while issuing interim directions.
The High Court directed the petitioners to appear before the IDC on a date fixed by the committee. It also ordered the IDC to identify the allegedly objectionable content and give the petitioners sufficient opportunity to explain or justify the material.
The court further directed YouTube to temporarily suspend only the videos identified as objectionable and restore the remaining YouTube channel after compliance. It clarified that any final action would remain subject to the outcome of proceedings before the IDC and competent authorities.
The petition was disposed of with all rights and contentions of the parties left open.
Case Details
Case Title: Sanjay Sharma and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors.
Case Number: W.P.(C) 4613/2026 & CM APPL. 22503/2026
Judge: Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav
Decision Date: May 5, 2026
