Mumbai Police Issue Notices to 24 X Accounts Over Sabeer Bhatia’s Documentary

Mumbai Police have issued legal notices to 24 X account holders for sharing clips of a controversial documentary posted by technology entrepreneur Sabeer Bhatia, which allegedly contained false and disparaging claims about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani.

The notices were issued on October 18 following a complaint alleging that multiple X handles had circulated objectionable content targeting a prominent business conglomerate.

According to the notices, the content contained false, misleading and disparaging allegations against the company, allegedly causing harm to its reputation, goodwill and public image. The notices stated that the publication of such material violated platform guidelines and attracted provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The police cited Sections 352, relating to intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace, and 356, concerning defamation. The account holders were asked to review the posts and remove the content or disable access to it.

While several users complied by deleting the video clips, others shared copies of the police notices online and questioned the action, alleging overreach. Bhatia, who co-founded Hotmail, the first free web-based email service, in 1996, confirmed on X that he had removed certain posts following the police request.

He, however, questioned the action, arguing that the posts had highlighted alleged corruption at the highest levels of power. “The law enforcement agency apparently found the corruption less objectionable than the act of exposing it,” Bhatia said, questioning whom the law was protecting.

He also alleged that the government was curtailing citizens’ fundamental right to freedom of speech. Expressing disappointment, Bhatia said people should be able to speak about issues they witness without fear. He argued that a country could not progress if speaking the truth required courage.

The controversy has brought renewed attention to the balance between online expression and legal restrictions on content alleged to be defamatory. The claims made in the documentary remain allegations and have not been established as facts in the report.