Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has upheld Meta’s decision to permanently disable the Instagram account of a Nagpur city influencer accused of sharing sexually explicit content with a minor, ruling that even a single violation involving child sexual exploitation justifies the strictest action.

A division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode observed that online child sexual exploitation is among the gravest cyber offences, causing irreversible physical, emotional and psychological harm to children. The court said social media platforms have a duty to ensure their services are not misused for such crimes.

The petitioner, represented by advocate Priti Badwaik Pendke through the legal aid cell, argued that the explicit content was sent unintentionally and that he was unaware the recipient was a minor. The plea contended that Meta should have provided an opportunity to rectify the mistake before permanently suspending the account.

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Opposing the petition, Deputy Solicitor General of India Karthik Shukul, appearing for the Union Government, argued that even a single incident involving child sexual exploitation is sufficient to warrant immediate and permanent action under the law and Meta’s platform policies.

The High Court agreed with the government’s submissions, holding that Meta’s zero-tolerance policy is lawful and proportionate. It observed that platforms are empowered to immediately remove such content, permanently disable offending accounts and report such cases to law enforcement authorities wherever required.

Dismissing the petition, the court reaffirmed that the protection of children from online sexual exploitation must take precedence over the continued operation of social media accounts found to have committed such serious violations.