In a significant legal development, a Delhi court has found a member of a Hindutva-linked WhatsApp group guilty of inciting communal hatred and fueling tensions during the 2020 Delhi pogrom. The convicted individual actively participated in spreading provocative content and hate speech through the messaging platform, which the court ruled played a substantial role in triggering the violence.
The judgment emphasized the accountability of digital actions, stating that virtual platforms cannot serve as shields for real-world consequences. The court observed that the group’s discussions were “inflammatory in nature” and contributed to the atmosphere of hostility during one of the worst communal outbreaks in the capital in recent history.
This ruling marks one of the rare instances where digital group behavior has directly resulted in criminal conviction, sending a strong message against the use of social media platforms to incite violence or hate.
Rights activists and civil society members welcomed the verdict, calling it a small but important step toward justice for the victims of the 2020 violence, which left over 50 people dead—most of them from the Muslim community.
