The Kerala High Court while hearing the case of Athena Soloman v Union of India & Ors disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking directions to block the international encrypted instant messaging service, Telegram, in India after the Central Government’s submission that the petitioner can raise her grievances before the grievance officer appointed by Telegram as per the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021).

The present petition is filed by the petitioner claiming to have been aggrieved by the alleged circulation of inappropriate obscene and vulgar sexual content featuring women and children, especially pornography involving children, on Telegram. It was further contended that the messaging service is used for promoting international terrorism as well as for creating civil disruptions and that it has no nodal officer or a registered office in India. Also, Telegram is operating without a licence from any authorities and the investigating agencies are unable to initiate a proper investigation or trace out the culprits.

Therefore, the Court directed the petitioner to approach the Grievance Officer appointed by Telegram in India stating further that the Grievance Officer shall acknowledge the complaint within 24 hours and dispose of the same within 15 days of its receipt and receive and acknowledge any order, notice, or direction issued by the appropriate government, any competent authority or a court of competent jurisdiction