Case filed against Meta India head over morphed content targeting PM Modi

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jul 31, 2026: A case has been registered against Meta’s India head and the operators of several Facebook and Instagram accounts over alleged circulation of morphed and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests over the NEET paper leak.

The complaint was filed with the Cyber Crime Police in Hyderabad, marking the latest legal challenge for the social media giant in India.

The development comes just days after a video of Prime Minister Modi addressing the youth on the alleged NEET paper leak was briefly removed from Facebook. Following the incident, the Central government summoned senior Meta executives for a second time, seeking an explanation.

Speaking on Thursday, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S. Krishnan said, “We have asked Meta to come in at the highest level and explain what is happening.”

Meta later stated that the removal of the Prime Minister’s video was an inadvertent error and acknowledged that the post had been taken down by mistake before being restored.

The video, Modi’s first public address on the nationwide student protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, had attracted more than 404 million views on Instagram. The protests eventually led to the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The latest case adds to Meta’s growing regulatory challenges in India. Recently, the IT Ministry issued a notice to WhatsApp over its proposed username feature, citing concerns that it could facilitate online fraud, phishing, impersonation, and so-called "digital arrest" scams.

The government has also issued a notice to Meta over the presence of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram.