Delhi HC issues notice to Facebook, others on petition filed by Bhojpuri actress

Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Facebook and others on a petition filed by Bhojpuri Actor Neha Shree seeking to restore access to her Facebook page and account immediately and delete all obscene, immoral and illegal content from her page and account.

Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar asked Facebook Inc, Delhi Government and City Police to file a reply on the petition filed by Neha Shree. The court has listed the matter for March 28 for further hearing.

Neha Shree, in her plea filed through advocates Kartickay Mathur and KK Shukla, sought direction from Delhi HC to police for registering an FIR and investigate the complaint filed by the petitioner on November 20 this year for the hacking of her Facebook account and page.

She had also sought to restore the access of the Facebook page and account of the petitioner immediately and delete all the obscene, immoral and illegal content from there.

The petitioner said that she is a leading actress in Bhojpuri and Rajasthani film industry, has also acted in television shows, music videos etc. The petitioner has been active in the profession since her debut in the year 2011 and thereafter acquired a considerable fan following in the industry and has been awarded various awards in recognition of her work in the Industry and also awarded Rashtriya Gaurav Award.

The petitioner started her Facebook account and page in the year 2012 and since then has been actively working on the same. That due to the increased fan following of the petitioner, the petitioner had more than 40 lakhs followers on her Facebook account. Apart from followers, there are crores of viewers on the Facebook Page of the petitioner. The petitioner was maintaining her page under her name, that is, Neha Shree and Facebook ID with Neha Shree Singh.

On the intervening night of October 19 and 20, 2021, the petitioner received an email from Facebook stating that she has been removed as the admin of the Neha Shree Facebook page. When she read the email on the morning of October 20, 2021, and tried to access her account, she failed to access it by any mode.

The petitioner immediately on October 20 raised a complaint with Facebook and informed them about the hacking of her account but the account of the petitioner remained inaccessible to her.

"Petitioner was shattered to see that from her hacked Facebook account, immoral and obscene pictures and videos were being posted. Thereafter the hacker started posting explicit sexual content on the page of the petitioner which was in public view being viewed by crores of people who regularly visit the Facebook Page of the petitioner, " the petitioner said.

( With inputs from ANI )