Telangana HC Quashes FIRs Against Twitter User, Issues Guidelines for Social Media Complaints

The Telangana High Court quashed three FIRs against a Twitter user for critical posts about the state Congress government, holding that while the comments were harsh, they fall within political expression protected under Article 19(1)(a).

Justice N. Tukaramji issued detailed guidelines for police and magistrates before registering FIRs over social media posts on political matters.

These include verifying if the complainant is the “person aggrieved,” conducting a preliminary inquiry, requiring prima facie materia, especially in cases of alleged public disorder or defamation, and obtaining legal opinion from the public prosecutor.

[Nalla Balu @ Durgam Shashidhar Goud v. State of Telangana]