X challenges Karnataka High Court ruling on blocking orders
X, previously known as Twitter, is appealing a Rs. 50 lakh penalty and dismissal of its plea by the Karnataka High Court. The High Court had dismissed X's 2022 plea challenging some of the content takedown orders by the Indian government. This would be Elon Musk-owned X's first legal confrontation in India following the branding makeover. Musk had previously criticized the lawsuit.
MeitY didn't follow Rule 14 of the Blocking Rules: X
X argues that the court wrongly determined it wasn't entitled to rights under Article 21 of the Constitution and that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) didn't follow Rule 14 of the Blocking Rules. The appeal also contests the court's decision to uphold the blocking of 29 accounts and 33 URLs under Section 69A(1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The platform questions court's interpretation of Section 69A(1)
The ongoing legal battle between X and the Indian government could have significant consequences for censorship and freedom of expression. X's appeal challenges the court's interpretation of Section 69A(1) of the IT Act. Under the provision, the Central government is entitled to issue blocking orders to platforms. However, in its petition, X said the government did not provide sufficient reasons for blocking content.
