India: X filed writ petition in Karnataka High Court challenging Government's use of Sahyog Portal to issue content takedown orders

On 5 March 2025, X Corp, formerly Twitter, filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court challenging the Government of India’s use of the Sahyog Portal to issue content takedown orders. The portal, launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, allows government agencies to request the removal of online content. X Corp argued that such orders can only be issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which allows the government to block public access to online information for reasons including national security, public order, or preventing incitement to an offence and not Section 79(3)(b), which only governs intermediary liability. X claimed that the portal bypasses legal safeguards and threatens free speech under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution. The Government countered that safe harbour protections are conditional and intermediaries must follow Indian law.