• Download the court order here.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court has ordered the temporary restoration of the YouTube channel “4PM”, nearly two months after the Union government blocked it over content allegedly affecting “national security, sovereignty and public order”. The court passed the order on May 5 in a writ petition filed by Sanjay Sharma and a co-petitioner against the Union government and YouTube. 

Furthermore, senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, argued that authorities had neither provided “the reason for blocking as also the blocking order” nor communicated the final order of the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC). The petitioners also alleged opaque proceedings in the IDC hearing. However, the court directed YouTube to keep 26 allegedly “objectionable/offending” videos blocked.

Court directs fresh IDC hearing

• The court directed the petitioners to appear before the IDC again and ordered the committee to specifically identify the allegedly “objectionable/offending” material on the channel.
• It said the IDC must grant “sufficient time” if the petitioners seek an opportunity to “explain/justify” the content.
• Meanwhile, the court allowed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to continue monitoring the channel and to take action against any future “objectionable/offending material” in accordance with the law.
• Additionally, the court ordered that any IDC recommendations regarding the final decision of the MIB Secretary must be provided to the petitioners.

The government’s justification

In an affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court, the Centre outlined multiple grounds for blocking the 4PM YouTube channel under Section 69A of the IT Act.

• The government said the blocking process began with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), acting in coordination with a security agency, before the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the blocking directions.
• According to the MIB, the channel engaged in “digital lobbying” by attempting to influence public opinion and policy discourse through online content.
• The Centre alleged that the channel pushed misleading and conspiratorial narratives around the Pahalgam terror attack, the situation in Manipur, and India’s foreign policy and military actions.
• It also argued that YouTube’s advertising and recommendation systems reward polarising content, create echo chambers, and may enable coordinated influence operations through monetised engagement.

The centre has repeatedly targeted 4PM: Speaking at MediaNama’s April 2026 event on the IT Rules and online speech in India, 4PM Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Sharma alleged that the channel has been repeatedly targeted by the government. Sharma said authorities had subjected him to criminal defamation cases, investigations by the Income Tax Department, the Economic Offences Wing and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), along with a physical attack on his office.

He also recalled that YouTube temporarily took down his channel during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections, then restored it after acknowledging that the account had been compromised. Following the Pahalgam attack, Sharma said the government again ordered YouTube to block the channel and labelled him ‘anti-national’. The Supreme Court issued a notice, after which the government withdrew its order.

Also read

• Independent journalists in Punjab allege censorship by ruling AAP using copyright strikes, IT act
• Censorship tracker of March 2026: what the Indian government didn’t want you to see
• What India’s 3,000-App Ban Reveals About Digital Censorship Under Section 69A