XChallenges Indian Government Over Alleged Unlawful Censorship

The lawsuit accuses the Modi administration of bypassing legal safeguards with a 'censorship portal' and misusing the IT Act to impose arbitrary content blocking.

X, formerly Twitter, has filed a lawsuit in the Karnataka High Court, claiming the Indian government misuses Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act to bypass judicial safeguards under Section 69A.
The company alleges that the 'Sahyog portal,' introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs, enables mass content takedown orders without proper legal oversight.
X argues the misuse of these mechanisms threatens its business model, which relies on users sharing lawful information, and creates a system of unchecked censorship.
The Karnataka High Court has allowed X to seek protection if the government takes punitive action, with the next hearing scheduled for March 27, 2025.
The legal challenge comes as Elon Musk seeks to expand ventures like Starlink and Tesla in India, adding geopolitical and business complexities to the dispute.