X Files Case On India's Content Regulation

Social media giant 'X' has filed a lawsuit in Karnataka High Court, contesting the Indian government's alleged misuse of Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. The platform claims the government is bypassing legal frameworks, leading to arbitrary censorship. 'X' argues this violates Supreme Court rulings, particularly the Shreya Singhal case, which mandates content blocking only through judicial or legally defined processes.

The lawsuit criticizes the government's reliance on Section 79 to impose content restrictions, rather than following the structured review process under Section 69A. 'X' asserts that the provision does not grant the government independent censorship powers. It accuses authorities of leveraging the law to suppress content without proper scrutiny, undermining free speech online.

Another key issue in 'X’s' challenge is the government’s Sahyog portal, which facilitates direct content removal requests. 'X' has refused to comply, arguing that the portal functions as a censorship tool, bypassing judicial oversight.