India: Dismissed Twitter lawsuit challenging orders to block content

On 30 June 2023, the High Court of Karnataka dismissed a lawsuit filed by Twitter challenging the Indian government's orders to delete content that was classified as endangering public order. The take-down order referred to the tweets posted during the 2021 Indian farmers' protest. In its lawsuit, Twitter challenged the application of section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, which allows the government to issue orders to block public access to online content that "threatens the security of the state" and "public order". Furthermore, Twitter alleged that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting order was arbitrary and disproportionate. The court dismissed this plea, finding that it was devoid of merit and additionally imposed a fine of INR 5 million.