Have right to suspend any account that violates terms: Twitter to HC

Social media firm Twitter on Thursday told the Delhi high court that it can suspend the account of any individual user found in breach of their service agreement, and that it has a “contractual obligation” to do so.

The company, in response to a plea by senior advocate Sanjay Hegde challenging the suspension of his Twitter account, said that its services are “purely in the nature of a voluntary service” which it “provides to its users in a commercial capacity”.

The social media intermediary also said there was no element of public function involved, and it was not obligated to render its service to further the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Indian Constitution.