Delhi Police Demands X Account Details in FIR Against FSSAI Director Sweety Behera Amid Defamation Allegations

NEW DELHI — The Delhi Police has reportedly issued a notice to X, requesting identifying information related to several social media accounts. This action is part of an investigation stemming from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by Sweety Behera, the Director of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The notice, dated April 1, 2026, seeks critical data such as mobile numbers used for account registration, IP logs, ports accessed, and recovery email IDs associated with specific accounts, including @khurpenchh, @gemsofbabus, @YTKDIndia, @NalinisKitchen, and @IamTheStory.

The police action appears to be a direct response to allegations made by Behera in her FIR, filed on March 24, 2026. She contends that posts from these accounts were intended to defame her and harm her reputation. Furthermore, Behera claims that sensitive information about her was improperly accessed from confidential sources.

The case has been registered under sections 316(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as section 72A of the Information Technology Act. The investigation is being conducted by the IP Estate police station in Central Delhi.

The Appointment Allegations at the Center of the FIR

The disputed social media posts primarily focus on allegations regarding Behera’s appointment as FSSAI Director. Reports indicate that these accounts questioned her eligibility for the position. One significant allegation states that Behera claimed to have worked at Nestlé India from 2006 to 2020, despite records indicating her actual start date was in 2007. Additionally, the accounts assert that she failed to provide proof of the requisite five years of supervisory experience.

Further claims highlighted in the posts involve allegations about salary eligibility and purported relaxations granted during the recruitment process. It has been alleged that the eligibility criteria were adjusted to facilitate her appointment and that relaxations related to Cost to Company (CTC) were granted in violation of the Recruitment Rules 2018.

One of the posts referenced documents from the recruitment process that purportedly revealed “multiple discrepancies” concerning experience, salary eligibility, and relaxations granted during the selection process. The posts also claimed that Behera’s appointment was justified on the grounds that no suitable candidates were available, even though three other candidates from the Scheduled Caste category had attended the interview.

Confidential Records, Deleted Posts, and a Public Defense

The police letter reportedly includes URLs of various posts on X that raise questions about Behera’s appointment. Notably, two posts from the account @NalinisKitchen, operated by Nalini Unagar, had been deleted by the time the report was published, obscuring their original content.

One post from this account stated, “Delhi Police have filed an FIR against me,” indicating that the user had previously discussed an FSSAI-related issue and was in the process of removing additional posts. The same post conveyed a sense of distress, stating, “In the future, you may see me silent. I cannot handle this level of stress.”

The report indicates uncertainty regarding how the internal documents referenced in the posts were accessed by the users. It also notes that the social media activity has led to the invocation of provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, specifically concerning criminal breach of trust and the unauthorized disclosure of personal information.

In contrast, the account @YTKDIndia has claimed that its content was derived entirely from a “verified internal inquiry report of the FSSAI” concerning Behera. The account asserts that it did not conduct the inquiry itself and did not make any alterations or personal interpretations, arguing that its reporting was fair and accurate.

A Case That Raises Larger Questions

The implications of this case extend beyond the initial allegations regarding Behera’s appointment. The police notice, particularly the request for extensive account-linked data, has garnered significant public attention and criticism.

Screenshots of social media posts reveal that the Delhi Police has sought detailed information from X Inc. about multiple account holders, including registration-linked mobile numbers, IP logs, ports accessed, and recovery email IDs. Many of the involved users have publicly characterized this action as a “witch hunt,” raising broader concerns about freedom of expression and the justification for requesting such extensive personal data.

Moreover, the FIR filed on March 24 had not been made publicly available at the time of reporting, leaving some details unverified through formal documentation. However, based on the police letter and the cited posts, the case clearly pertains to online allegations of irregularities in Behera’s appointment and the dissemination of internal documents related to that appointment.

The resulting dispute now occupies a critical space at the intersection of reputational harm, access to confidential records, and the increasingly significant role of social media in scrutinizing public appointments. Whether this case remains a focused criminal inquiry or evolves into a broader discussion on public-interest disclosure and digital speech will likely depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation.

For further details, refer to the original reporting source: the420.in.

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