The Karnataka High Court has delivered its verdict on the petition filed by X Corp, which sought a declaration that Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act does not grant the Central Government the authority to issue content-blocking orders. X had also challenged the Centre’s use of the Sahyog portal.
Court’s observation
During the hearing, a single bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing virtually, made several key observations. The Court emphasised that information and communication cannot be left "uncontrolled and unregulated," noting that all technologies have been subject to regulation since their evolution.
The Court also affirmed that the right to freedom of expression is bound by the reasonable restrictions outlined in Article 19(2) of the Indian Constitution.
Has to operate within Indian laws
Rejecting the application of foreign legal principles, the Court stated, "American jurisprudence cannot be transplanted into Indian ideology." It further asserted that social media platforms cannot operate in a state of "anarchic freedom" and that every sovereign nation has the right to regulate them. The Court declared, "No social media platform can view the Indian market merely as a playground".
The judge highlighted that X is subject to a regulatory regime in the United States and complies with it, yet "refuses to comply with the same law in India". On this basis, the Court dismissed the petition.
Meanwhile, X has significantly reduced its subscription fees for users in India, with discounts of up to 48 per cent. According to updates on the platform's portal, the Premium account subscription for mobile app users has seen the sharpest cut, dropping by nearly half.
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