Elon Musk's X raises concerns over "arbitrary censorship" in India, challenges karnataka HC decision

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : The Karnataka High Court has dismissed X's petition challenging the central government's takedown order. The High Court stated that compliance with the country's laws is mandatory to operate in India. Following the dismissal, social media platforms have responded.

A social media post from US businessman Elon Musk's X platform said, "X is deeply concerned by a recent order by a court in Karnataka, India, which will allow millions of police officers to issue arbitrary content removal orders through a secret online portal called 'Sahyog'. This new mechanism has no basis in law. It violates Section 69A of the IT Act, violates Supreme Court rulings, and infringes on Indian citizens' constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression."

The post stated that the collaboration enables authorities to order content removal based solely on allegations of "illegality," without judicial review or due process for speakers, and threatens platforms with criminal liability for non-compliance. X respects and complies with Indian law, but this order fails to address the core constitutional issues in our challenge and is inconsistent with the Bombay High Court's recent ruling that a similar arrangement was unconstitutional. We respectfully disagree with the idea that our incorporation abroad denies us any right to raise these concerns. X contributes significantly to public discourse in India, and the voices of our users are at the heart of our platform. We will appeal this order to protect freedom of expression.