X vs Indian Govt: Karnataka HC to hear content regulation and censorship case on April 5

New Delhi: The Karnataka High Court will hear a high-profile legal battle on April 5, 2025, as Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, challenged the Indian government’s orders to block content. 

The case, pitting X Corp against the central government, centres on allegations of unlawful content regulation and arbitrary censorship.

The lawsuit comes at a sensitive time for Elon Musk’s business interests in India. While X battles the government in court, Musk’s other ventures, Tesla and SpaceX, are seeking regulatory approvals to enter the Indian market. Tesla is in talks to establish an electric vehicle manufacturing plant, and SpaceX aims to launch its Starlink satellite internet service. The outcome of this case could influence the broader relationship between Musk’s companies and Indian authorities.

X filed its petition earlier this month, on March 5, 2025, contesting the government’s use of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology (IT) Act. The company argues that this provision is being misused to enforce content takedowns without adhering to the legal safeguards outlined in Section 69A, which the Supreme Court recognised in its 2015 Shreya Singhal judgment as the sole framework for blocking online content. X claimed that the government’s actions not only bypass judicial oversight but also threaten its business model, which relies on users sharing lawful information.

A key point of contention in the lawsuit is the government’s Sahyog portal, operated by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. X has labelled the portal a “censorship tool,” alleging it allows government agencies and local police to issue takedown orders without proper legal scrutiny. The company has refused to appoint a nodal officer to comply with the portal’s directives, arguing that such a mandate lacks statutory backing. X is seeking a court ruling to invalidate all takedown orders issued under Section 79(3)(b) and to suspend directives from the Sahyog portal until a final judgment is reached.

The dispute marks the latest chapter in X’s ongoing tensions with Indian authorities over content moderation. In 2022, when the platform was still known as Twitter, it challenged blocking orders under Section 69A, alleging excessive governmental overreach. That plea was dismissed by the Karnataka High Court in June 2023, with a fine of Rs 50 lakh imposed for non-compliance. The current case, however, shifts focus to what X calls a “parallel and unlawful” censorship regime enabled by Section 79(3)(b) and the Sahyog portal.

During an initial hearing on March 17, Justice M. Nagaprasanna allowed X to return to court if the government took any “precipitative action” against it. The government has maintained that no punitive measures have been initiated against X for its refusal to integrate with the Sahyog portal. The next hearing, scheduled for April 5, is expected to delve deeper into the legal merits of X’s claims and could set a precedent for how online content is regulated in India.