An Indian court has dismissed a petition filed by Elon Musk’s platform X. The company argued that a government portal allowed officials wide powers to censor online content.
A single judge of the Karnataka High Court ruled that X’s challenge to the Sahyog portal was “without merit”. The full judgement has not been released.
X has not said whether it will appeal.
Another legal defeat for X
This is the second major loss for X in India in just over two years. The platform previously failed to overturn government content removal powers. Experts warn the ruling could further restrict free speech online.
X has about 25 million users in India. Technology researcher Prateek Waghre described the decision as “worrisome”. He said it legitimised government agencies sending direct takedown orders to platforms. He added the full impact will only be clear once the judgement is published.
X’s lawyers declined to comment. India’s home and information technology ministries have not issued statements.
Controversy over Sahyog
X filed the case in March against Sahyog, a portal run by the federal home ministry. The system automates government notices to intermediaries such as X and Facebook.
Google, Amazon and Meta joined Sahyog after its launch last year. X refused. It described the portal as a “censorship tool” that bypassed safeguards like hearings and reviews.
X claimed the portal allowed “countless” officials, including thousands of police officers, to issue takedowns without oversight. In July, one of its lawyers said it let “every Tom, Dick, and Harry officer” demand removals. Government lawyers objected.
Platforms that ignore orders for more than 36 hours risk losing safe harbour protections. Without these, companies can be held liable for user content.
Government defends the system
Officials said Sahyog was necessary to handle rising volumes of harmful online content. They said the portal only notifies platforms about unlawful material and does not block posts directly.
The Karnataka judge rejected X’s claims. He said social media could not exist in “a state of anarchic freedom”. He called regulation essential and described Sahyog as a “public good”.
He also highlighted that X complies with takedown laws in the United States. He questioned why the platform refused to follow similar rules in India.
Global legal context
The court cited the Take It Down Act, passed in the United States earlier this year. The law bans sharing intimate images without consent and requires their removal within 48 hours. X has publicly supported the measure.
Digital rights experts warned that Sahyog had already caused “a wholesale increase in censorship”. Court filings showed removal requests covering videos of a deadly crush in Delhi and posts alleged to harm senior politicians’ reputations.
Ongoing battle
X remains the only major platform challenging India’s content-blocking system. Experts often describe the framework as opaque and arbitrary.
In 2022, before Musk acquired the platform, X contested multiple takedown orders. The following year, the Karnataka High Court ruled against it and fined the company 5 million rupees for delayed compliance.
That appeal remains pending. With this latest ruling, X faces another major obstacle in its ongoing fight for digital free speech in India.
