Karnataka High Court rules against X Corp in content case
The ruling marks a setback for Musk’s X, which had contested India’s regulatory framework for online platforms.
The Indian Karnataka High Court has rejected a petition by Elon Musk’s X Corp that contested the Indian government’s authority to block content and the legality of its Sahyog portal.
Justice M Nagaprasanna ruled that social media regulation is necessary to curb unlawful material, particularly content harmful to women, and that communications have historically been subject to oversight regardless of technology.
X Corp argued that takedown powers exist only under Section 69A of the IT Act and described the Sahyog portal as a tool for censorship. The government countered that Section 79(3)(b) allows safe harbour protections to be withdrawn if platforms fail to comply.
The Indian court sided with the government, affirming the portal’s validity and the broader regulatory framework. The ruling marks a setback for X Corp, which had also sought protection from possible punitive action for not joining the portal.
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