An Indian court has dismissed a petition filed by Elon Musk’s platform X. The company argued that a government portal gave officials sweeping powers to censor online content.
A single judge of the Karnataka High Court ruled that X’s challenge against the Sahyog portal was “without merit”. The complete judgement has not yet been released.
X has not said if it will appeal the decision.
Another legal blow for X
This ruling marks the second major courtroom defeat for X in India in just over two years. The platform earlier failed to overturn government orders to block content. Experts now warn that the latest decision could shrink online free speech.
X counts an estimated 25 million users in India. Technology researcher Prateek Waghre said the order was “worrisome”. He argued it legitimised government agencies sending takedown demands directly to platforms. He added that the real consequences would be clearer once the full order is public.
X’s legal team declined to comment. India’s home and information technology ministries have not provided responses.
Why Sahyog became a flashpoint
X’s case, filed in March, targeted Sahyog, a portal managed by the federal home ministry. The system automates notices to intermediaries such as X and Facebook.
Google, Amazon and Meta joined Sahyog soon after its launch last year. X refused. It called the portal a “censorship tool” that bypassed safeguards such as hearings and reviews.
The company argued that Sahyog enabled “countless” officials, including thousands of police officers, to order removals without checks. In July, one of its lawyers claimed it let “every Tom, Dick, and Harry officer” issue takedown orders. Government counsel objected to the remark.
Platforms that ignore such orders for more than 36 hours risk losing safe harbour protections. Without these, companies can be held liable for user content.
Government stands by the portal
Officials defended Sahyog as necessary to handle the rising flood of harmful online content. They said the portal only informed companies about unlawful material instead of blocking posts itself.
The Karnataka judge sided with the government. He said social media could not exist in “a state of anarchic freedom”. He called regulation vital and described Sahyog as a “public good”.
The judge also noted that X follows takedown laws in the United States. He asked why the company resisted similar rules in India.
International context matters
The court cited the Take It Down Act, introduced in the United States earlier this year. The law bans the sharing of intimate images without consent and requires platforms to remove them within 48 hours. X has publicly supported the measure.
When X launched its petition, digital rights experts said Sahyog had already caused “a wholesale increase in censorship”. Court documents revealed removal demands covering videos of a deadly crowd crush in Delhi and posts accused of harming the reputation of senior leaders.
A long fight continues
X remains the only major platform challenging India’s content-blocking system. Legal experts often describe the framework as opaque and arbitrary.
In 2022, before Musk acquired the company, X resisted several takedown orders. The following year, the Karnataka High Court ruled against it and fined the platform 5 million rupees for delays in compliance.
That appeal remains pending. With this latest setback, X faces another barrier in its continuing battle over digital freedoms in India.
