$~67 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(CRL) 635/2026 NARENDER KUMAR SINGH .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Lal Singh Thakur, Mr. Sudhir Tewatia, Mr. Naman Chowdhary, Mr. Mehal Gulati, Mr. Prashant Solanki, Mr. Tarun Mann, Advs.

versus UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Sanjeev Bhandari, ASC for State/ R-12 alongwith Mr. Arijit Sharma and Ms. Sakshi Jha, Advs.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SAURABH BANERJEE

O R D E R

% 20.02.2026 CRL.M.A.5961/2026 (for Exemption)

1. Allowed, subject to all just exceptions.

2. The application is disposed of.

W.P.(CRL) 635/2026, CRL.M.A. 5960/2026 (for interim direction)

3. By virtue of the present petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India read with Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), the petitioner seeks the following reliefs:-

“a) Issue an appropriate writ, order or direction, particularly a writ of Mandamus, directing Respondent Nos. 1 to 10 to forthwith remove, take down and delete all videos, news reports, digital posts, articles, clips, thumbnails, captions, hashtags and any other material published or broadcast by them which disclose or tend to disclose the identity of the Petitioner’s minor son (a child in conflict with law), in violation of Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)

Act, 2015;

b) Issue an appropriate writ, order or direction restraining Respondent Nos. 1 to 10, their agents, employees, affiliates, associates or any person acting on their behalf from publishing, telecasting, circulating, reposting or otherwise disseminating any material whatsoever which directly or indirectly reveals the name, photograph, residential address, school details, family particulars or any identifying information of the Petitioner’s minor son;

c) Direct Respondent No. 1 and other concerned statutory authorities to ensure strict compliance of Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and to take appropriate regulatory action against any media house, news channel, digital platform or intermediary found violating the statutory mandate; d) Direct Respondent Nos. 8, 9 and other social media platforms to immediately disable, block and permanently remove all fake, impersonating and defamatory accounts, including the account reported by the Petitioner, and to furnish details of the creators of such accounts to the investigating agency in accordance with law;

e) Direct the respondent no. 12 to take appropriate legal action against the violators U/S 74 of the Juvenile Justice and Protection Act, 2015 and provide adequate protection to the Petitioner and his family members in view of the death threats and intimidation received as a direct consequence of the unlawful publications;”

4. At the outset, learned counsel for the petitioner fairly submits that though the petitioner has sought the aforesaid reliefs, however, since the son of the petitioner is a juvenile, the grievance herein is only qua the violation of Section 74, 74. Prohibition on disclosure of identity of children. of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of (1) No report in any newspaper, magazine, news-sheet or audio-visual media or other forms of communication regarding any inquiry or investigation or judicial procedure, shall disclose the name, address or school or any other particular, which may lead to the identification of a child in conflict with law or a child in need of care and protection or a child victim or witness of a crime, involved in such matter, under any other law for the time being in force, nor shall the picture of any such child be published:

Provided that for reasons to be recorded in writing, the Board or Committee, as the case may be, holding the inquiry may permit such disclosure, if in its opinion such disclosure is in the best interest of the child.

(2) The Police shall not disclose any record of the child for the purpose of character certificate or otherwise 1[in the pending case or in the case