Social network X announced on Monday that it will appeal a recent ruling by the Karnataka High Court, which upheld the Indian government’s Sahyog content takedown portal. The platform criticized the system as “secretive” and without legal basis.
The ruling stemmed from a petition X filed in March, challenging the portal’s legitimacy. In court, the company described Sahyog as a “censorship portal” that allows government agencies and police to issue removal orders without oversight.
Launched in late 2024, Sahyog enables agencies to automate takedown requests and directly instruct platforms to remove content deemed unlawful. While companies including Google, Meta, and ShareChat have joined the system, X has refused to comply, arguing that it circumvents established law.
X’s Global Government Affairs team said the portal violates Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which governs content blocking. Section 69A requires written orders, procedural safeguards, and judicial review, protections the company argues are absent in Sahyog.
“The Sahyog enables officers to order content removal based solely on allegations of ‘illegality,’ without judicial review or due process for the speakers, and threatens platforms with criminal liability for non-compliance,” X wrote in a post on Monday.
The court, however, dismissed X’s arguments, ruling that as a foreign company, X does not have constitutional rights to freedom of speech under Indian law.
X responded by stressing its role in India’s public discourse. “We respectfully disagree with the view that we have no right to raise these concerns because of our incorporation abroad, X contributes significantly to public discourse in India and the voice of our users is at the heart of our platform,” the company said. “We will appeal this order to defend free expression.”
The dispute comes as Elon Musk deepens his business interests in India. Tesla recently launched operations in the country, while Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, received final regulatory approval.
