Centre blocks 129 websites using fake High Court orders
- The Department of Telecommunications blocked 129 websites based on two fraudulent court orders.
- Allahabad High Court confirmed the order dated August 14 was entirely fabricated.
- Rajasthan High Court registrar stated the order attributed to them does not exist.
- Police have registered FIRs for forgery and cheating following the discovery of the fake documents.
- Social media platform X reported separate impostor notices targeting the Internet Freedom Foundation.
The Department of Telecommunications issued these blocking directions on July 21 and September 2.
The Centre utilized these forged documents from two different High Courts to execute the removal of the websites.
The government officially processed and published these directives on its website throughout the year.
Allahabad High Court identifies forged August 14 order
The Uttar Pradesh Police registered an FIR against unknown individuals following the discovery of the forged document.
The forged order, dated August 14, 2026, falsely claimed to be issued by Justice Garima Prashad.
An individual identifying as advocate Kartikey Pandey submitted the fake order to the Department of Telecommunications on August 22. This document was filed under Writ-A No. 30480 of 2026, titled Sahil Singh v. Director General (DoT Cyber Law) and Others.
The Department of Telecommunications used the order on September 2 to instruct internet service providers to block 95 websites for allegedly streaming fake IPL matches and running betting platforms. Pandey also requested an action taken report regarding these website takedowns.
An internal inquiry by the Allahabad High Court confirmed that neither the case number nor the order dated August 14 existed in official records. The document included the court logo, seal, and a QR code.
The QR code was untraceable when tested by Scroll. It directed users to a random webpage rather than an authenticated court record.
Rajasthan High Court confirms order is non-existent
A separate forged order, purportedly from the Rajasthan High Court, was used by the Centre on July 21 to issue a directive blocking 34 betting websites.
An individual identified as advocate-on-record Aryan Chaudhary emailed the fake order to the telecommunications department on July 19. The communication used an invalid email address.
The fraudulent document was signed by the individual identifying as Aryan Chaudhary and instructed authorities to complete the takedown within 24 hours.
Department of Telecommunications published fake directives
The Department of Telecommunications posted the takedown directives on its official website, which included copies of the purported court orders.
Reuters technology reporter Munsif Vengattile contacted the Allahabad High Court administration on 30 October to verify one of the orders he discovered on the department website.
Police launch investigations into forgery and cheating
Police have launched an investigation into the fake orders for alleged forgery and cheating.
Social media platform X reports separate impostor notices
Separately, the Delhi Police Crime Branch registered an FIR on 7 November regarding fraudulent notices sent to social media platform X. These notices sought to block accounts belonging to the Internet Freedom Foundation and the Software Freedom Law Centre.
X Corp told the court that the notices were issued by an impostor rather than the Delhi Police and that a complaint has been filed to identify the culprit.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Centre issued 129 website takedown directions based on fake HC orders, reports ‘Reuters’ (scroll.in)
- Fake Allahabad High Court Order Cited In Centre's Takedown Directive For 95 Websites; UP Police Register... (livelaw.in)
- Indian govt took down 129 betting websites on 'court orders', they turn out to be fake | Pandey even sought 'action taken report' | Inshorts (inshorts.com)
Add NewsPulse Time as a preferred source on Google