X sues govt over use of IT Act to block content

X, formerly Twitter, has filed a petition in the Karnataka high court challenging the Indian government’s use of Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, arguing that it not only sets up an illegal parallel content-blocking process but also violates the Supreme Court’s 2015 Shreya Singhal judgment, which declared that content could only be blocked through a competent court order or under Section 69A’s structured process. Apart from seeking protection from government action on blocking orders violative of Section 69A, X also wants protection for not onboarding an employee on Sahyog, a portal created by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre to “streamline” Section 79 orders. According to X, this system renders Section 69A “otiose, ineffective, and meaningless,” as Shreya Singhal upheld the provision only because it was narrowly defined and had built-in procedural safeguards. Now, in its latest challenge, X is arguing that the government’s misuse of Section 79 is a blatant attempt to undermine established legal procedures and create a censorship system without checks and balances.