Review the final output The Uttar Pradesh Police have registered an FIR after discovering that the Centre used a fake Allahabad High Court order to block 95 websites. This false directive, alleging to stem from the High Court, was cited by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as justification to shut down sites allegedly involved in streaming illicit IPL matches and operating betting platforms. What followed has stirred serious questions about the credibility of judicial orders and government directives.
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## Fake Order Triggers Investigation
Last week, UP Police initiated First Information Reports (FIRs) against unidentified persons. The filing happened after the High Court administration confirmed that the Centre had relied on a bogus order. A Joint Registrar lodged the complaint under orders of the Chief Justice. The FIR cites sections 318(2), 336(2), 336(3), 337, 338, and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The document in question bore the date **August 14, 2026**, and claimed Justice Garima Prashad issued it in **Writ A No. 30480/2026**, Sahil Singh v. Director General (DoT Cyber Law) and Others. Yet, the High Court later found no such case or order in its records.
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## DoT’s Role and the Blocking Order
On **September 2, 2026**, the DoT used the forged document to direct internet service providers to block access to 95 websites. These sites were allegedly involved in streaming fake IPL matches and facilitating betting.
The entire façade unraveled when Munsif Vengattile contacted the High Court on **October 30, 2026**. He wanted to cross-check the legitimacy of the order found on the DoT’s portal. That inquiry prompted a deeper verification.
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## How the Fraud Was Uncovered
The High Court’s examination revealed:
– No case filed as **Writ A No. 30480/2026** exists in its online system.
– No order dated **August 14, 2026** appears anywhere in case files under that number.
An additional layer of deception involved a QR code affixed to the document. While it appeared to give legitimacy, the code directed to an irrelevant webpage bearing the purported case number instead of any authentic court record.
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## Scale of Deception: Multiple High Courts
This isn’t an isolated incident. In a separate case, a forged order supposedly from the Rajasthan High Court was used similarly. On **July 21, 2026**, the DoT relied on the Rajasthan document to block 34 betting websites. The Registrar there also confirmed that the order is fraudulent and absent from official records.
Altogether, two bogus High Court orders—one from Allahabad and one from Rajasthan—were used to justify the blocking of **129 websites** in total.
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## Legal and Institutional Fallout
The Allahabad High Court administration, alarmed by the incident, asked the Registrar (Judicial)/Computer to conduct a full review. Upon discovering no evidence of the purported order or case, they approached law enforcement.
Sections of law under which the FIR was filed—related to forgery, using forged documents, public mischief, wrongfully causing grievous hurt, etc.—underscore the severity of the wrongdoing.
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## Implications and Concerns
This situation has raised critical questions:
– How did the DoT accept and act upon a document not authenticated by an actual court order?
– What checks were bypassed in verifying judicial directives before issuing takedown orders?
– Were similar fake orders used in other instances?
Failures or gaps in judicial transparency and administrative safeguards are now in sharp focus. Legal experts are likely to call for tighter validation processes, especially for government-issued orders that impact internet access and media content.
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## Reactions and Moving Forward
High Courts in both Allahabad and Rajasthan have declared their respective orders fake and ordered police inquiries. Meanwhile, scrutiny has extended to how the DoT stores and publishes such directives.
Legal luminaries and civil society have expressed concern over possible overreach and misuse of authority through fraudulent orders. They are calling for institutional reforms to prevent recurrence.
At a time when governance increasingly depends on digital integrity and legal tech infrastructure, this incident presents a critical test. Ensuring that judicial processes, digital seals, and verification tools like QR codes remain foolproof will be vital.
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## What Comes Next
– Ongoing investigation by UP Police to identify those responsible.
– Possible amendments to verification protocols for court orders.
– Public and institutional demand for accountability from both judiciary and executive branches.
– Legal scrutiny over DoT’s internal policies with respect to censorship and site blocking.
This episode serves as a wake-up call about safeguarding legal authenticity in digital governance. As institutions probe the deception, it’s clear that trust in official notices must rest on verifiable fact, not deception.
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