An Indian court has dismissed a petition filed by Elon Musk’s platform X. The company argued that a government portal gave officials unchecked 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 text of the ruling has not yet been made public.
X has not confirmed if it plans to appeal.
X faces repeated defeats in India
This is the second time in just over two years that X has lost a legal fight against Indian censorship powers. Experts warn the decision could tighten limits on free expression.
The platform has an estimated 25 million users in India. Technology researcher Prateek Waghre called the ruling “worrisome”. He said it legitimised government agencies sending direct takedown orders to platforms. He stressed the full impact would only be clear once the judgement is released.
X’s lawyers declined to comment. India’s home and technology ministries have not issued any statements.
The case against Sahyog
The lawsuit, filed in March, targeted Sahyog, a portal operated by the federal home ministry. The system automates government notices to platforms like X and Facebook.
Google, Amazon and Meta joined Sahyog soon after its launch last year. X refused. The company called it a “censorship portal” that bypassed rules requiring hearings and reviews.
X argued that the portal gave “countless” officials, including thousands of police officers, the power to demand removals without oversight. In July, one of its lawyers said it allowed “every Tom, Dick, and Harry officer” to issue takedowns. Government lawyers objected to the remark.
Platforms that fail to comply with orders within 36 hours risk losing safe harbour protections. Without them, companies can be held liable for user content.
Government defends stricter controls
The Indian government defended Sahyog as essential to handle growing amounts of harmful online material. Officials said the portal only notified companies about unlawful content instead of blocking posts directly.
On Wednesday, the Karnataka judge dismissed X’s arguments. He said social media could not exist in “a state of anarchic freedom”. He added that regulation was necessary and described Sahyog as a “public good”.
He also pointed out that X complies with takedown rules in the United States. He questioned why the platform refused to accept similar laws in India.
The global legal backdrop
The court referenced 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 act.
When X filed its case, digital rights groups warned that Sahyog had already led to “a wholesale increase in censorship”. Court documents showed officials had demanded removals of content such as videos of a deadly crush in Delhi and posts alleged to harm the reputation of top leaders.
Long-running battle continues
X remains the only major social media platform to challenge India’s blocking system. Legal experts often describe the framework as opaque and arbitrary.
In 2022, before Musk bought the company, X fought 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 is still pending. With this new ruling, X faces another serious barrier in its struggle over free speech in India.
