Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has expressed concern over the Karnataka High Court’s recent decision on its plea.
X challenged the Central Government’s authority to remove content under India’s IT Act, arguing that the court’s order allows police officers to issue takedown requests through a portal called Sahyog without proper judicial review.
X said this new system is unlawful, bypasses Section 69A of the IT Act, goes against Supreme Court rulings, and violates citizens’ constitutional right to free speech.
The platform stated that the portal allows officers to remove content solely based on allegations, without giving users a fair process, while threatening the platform with legal consequences for non-compliance.
X also criticized the court for ignoring key constitutional issues and claiming the company, being foreign based, has no right to raise concerns in India.
The company said it contributes to public discourse in India and will continue to appeal to defend free expression.
The Karnataka High Court said no to X’s request to challenge the Indian government’s power to take down online content under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act.
X wanted the court to say that the government cannot remove posts or information from its platform without proper rules. But the court pointed out that X is a company based in the United States and already follows content removal rules there.
So, the court decided X cannot stop the government from acting in India and dismissed their plea. Essentially, the court told X it must follow Indian rules too.
