Critical Warning: The step-2 process involves an Indian government authority and this mechanism must not be misused. Do not proceed if the account does not represent a legitimate profile—if the profile name, bio, or username contains spam-like, misleading, illegal, or suspicious terms, or if there is any possibility of an actual policy violation especially CSE—through DMs, comments, stories, or posts. If such activity is detected or proven, proceeding may expose the matter to government authorities and result in criminal liability under POCSO, as the government agencies are legally bound to act on any illegality brought to their notice.
Step 1: Submit a report to Meta’s Indian Grievance Officer (GO) at: https://help.meta.com/requests/1371776380779082
After submitting the report to GO u will receive an automated acknowledgement email from Meta confirming the submission of report (take a screenshot). After a few days you will receive another response in the email conveying the final outcome of the GO's report as approval or rejection of the report within a few days (take a screenshot). The second email is mandatory. Note and copy the report number mentioned in this response.
Step 2: Proceed to file an appeal with the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) within 30 days of GO's final outcome (second email response) and if no response is received within 30 days except the submission acknowledgement email then you can file beyond 30 days too.
Draft the appeal in three parts in the below format:
Clearly and concisely describe what happened to your account within three or four sentences.
Explain why you are dissatisfied with the grievance officer’s response and provide a reasoned justification for why the appeal deserves consideration in 250 words.
State the specific relief you seek from Meta through the Honourable GAC, using professional and legally appropriate language in one or points.
Visit https://gac.gov.in and signup using mobile number and verify the user profile via Aadhaar OTP.
Select “File New Appeal” fill in the required details:
Enter the date of submission of the grievance officer report, enter the date of the GO's decision email, paste the GO report number from GO's response from Meta.
In the “Intermediary” field, type Instagram or Facebook as applicable. The address and email fields will auto-populate in respective columns. See the auto filled email looks like metagacintake... Keep address of the Grievance Officer handy as you may happen to type it.
Enter the drafted brief, justification and relief sought in their respective columns.
Upload all relevant screenshots in the Evidence section (GO report SS).
Submit the appeal. After Submission you will receive an email confirmation of GAC appeal submission and an SMS acknowledgement as well.
As per publicly available information, the appeal is automatically forwarded to Meta at the time you submit. Meta is required to respond to the Honourable GAC within 96 hours. The GAC will examine both the appeal and Meta’s response and then issue an order, which is binding on both parties. Typically, Meta conducts a fresh review before responding. If the disablement was due to a system error, the account may be reinstated. If a genuine violation is found, Meta may submit evidence identifying the specific activities that triggered the suspension.
Your case will be reviewed by Honourable GAC and if the account is disabled wrongfully then the GAC will pass the order for reinstatement but if the disablement is proven valid then the GAC will pass the order against you. GAC orders are legally binding on both parties.
This information is provided strictly for general awareness and lawful, legitimate use only.