OpIndia has taken down its article from April 6 regarding Meta India’s public policy team. The related tweets, which the article referenced, were deleted following an ex-parte injunction from the Delhi High Court. This action stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the law firm Shergill, Hoda & Nasir representing Muhammad Ali Khan, a lawyer connected to the Congress party, and his wife Prianka Rao-Khan, a former Meta employee. The court granted the interim order on April 15, 2026, in case CS(OS) 318/2026.
This removal is in deference to the judicial process and the court’s binding interim directives, which apply to third parties. However, OpIndia maintains confidence in the accuracy of its reporting, based on publicly verifiable information that remains unchallenged. Readers should be aware of the court’s specific orders and the underlying facts.
Muhammad Ali Khan, an advocate with almost 20 years of experience at the Supreme Court of India and ties to the Congress party, along with his wife Prianka Rao-Khan, who left her position as a public policy manager at Meta India on January 20, 2026, initiated the lawsuit. The defendants include X Corp (previously Twitter), two anonymous accounts (@Jhunjhunuwala and @mujifren), and a John Doe representing unidentified users alleged to be bots and coordinated troll accounts working with the named profiles. The suit demands compensation for what the plaintiffs describe as a sustained, organized defamation effort with communal undertones, plus a permanent injunction and requirements for X Corp to delete content and reveal account holders’ identities.
On April 15, 2026, Justice Subramonium Prasad conducted an ex-parte hearing via video conference, without notifying the defendants. The court found the tweets preliminarily to be offensive, derogatory, and potentially inflammatory on communal grounds.
The injunction broadly prohibits the defendants and any third parties from sharing the disputed content. Consequently, OpIndia, though not named in the suit, received a legal notice shortly after the order and was not afforded a chance to explain its position.
For background, while the exact tweet content cannot be reprinted due to legal constraints, discussions on X alleged bias at Meta against supporters of the BJP, particularly those posting on Hindu rights issues, attributing it to Prianka Rao-Khan and her husband Muhammad Ali Khan. This is supported by a still-available tweet from Khan. It remains unclear why Khan viewed the removed posts as defamatory.
Such allegations might be contestable in court if a full hearing occurs. Notably, the Congress party has previously accused Meta of bias, making it puzzling that a lawyer linked to Congress would deem similar claims defamatory and communally sensitive.
Khan posted: ‘Oye you cowardly piece of garbage. This is my wife. Let’s see how brave you are when faced with a criminal investigation for harassment. Have taken screenshots of some of the other criminal content on your profiles as well. Look fwd to seeing you justify it in person.’ — Muhammad Khan (@lawyerkhanmd) April 5, 2026
The court’s order is a temporary ex-parte interim injunction, meant to prevent harm pending a full hearing, not a final judgment. The judge noted it as a preliminary view, indicating it is provisional. Defendants have yet to present their case, and cross-examination has not occurred.
