Karnataka High Court Deals Blow to X Corp: Follow Indian Laws or Face Consequences

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): In a major blow to X, the Karnataka High Court dismissed X Corp.’s petition, stating clearly that social media platforms must comply with the country’s laws to operate in India.

The Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition filed by X (formerly Twitter) challenging the Centre's directives to block certain accounts and posts. Justice Nagaprasanna of the High Court said that social media must be regulated, especially in cases of crimes against women. Failure to do so violates a citizen's constitutional right to dignity. He said that the microblogging platform cannot be allowed to operate unchecked in India. The bench said that X must comply with the country's laws and clarified that the constitutional protection of freedom of expression under Article 19 extends only to Indian citizens, not to foreign entities.

The High Court declared the petition to be devoid of merit and dismissed it. It clarified that authorized government officials are competent to issue blocking orders under the Information Technology Act. The court noted that X Corp. is required to comply with the takedown orders in the United States, as they criminalize violations.