From Our Special Desk: Eastern Chronicle 24×7, The 21st March,2025.
- Elon Musk’s X says, India expanded censorship power- in Court filing.
- India has had strained relationship with X, in the past.
India’s IT Ministry has unlawfully expanded censorship power to Allow easier, to removal to Online Contents, and also empowerment to “countless” Government Officials to execute such Orders. Elon Musk’s X has alleged new Lawsuit against New Delhi Government.
The Lawsuit and the allegation mark on, in an escalation on ongoing Legal Disputes between X and Prime minister Narendra Modi’s Government over, how Modi ‘s Government ordered to remove Contents . New Delhi ordered Content to be taken down. It also comes as Musk’s as getting closure to launching his key ventures Starlink and Tesla in India.
In a new court filing , dated March 5, X argues, India’s IT Ministry is asking the other ministry departments, to use a government website, Launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs Last Year to issue Content Blocking Orders and mandate Social media companies to join the website too.
X says, the mechanism does not contains the stringent Indian Legal Safeguards on Content Removal, that required such ordered to be issued in cases such as Harm to Sovereignty or such Harm in Public Order, and also came with strict oversight of the top officials.
India’s IT Ministry redirected request for comment to the Home Ministry.
X also said, the website creates “an impermissible parallel mechanism” that causes “unrestrained censorship of Information in India… “. X also adding it is seeking to quash the directives.
The Case was briefly heard earlier this week by Judge in the High Court of Karnataka, the Southern State of India,But no final decision was reached. It will now be heard on March 27th next.
In 2021, X, formerly the then Called Twitter, which now owned by Elon Musk was Locked in a stand-off with the Indian Government over non-compliances of Legal Orders to Block certain Tweets Related to a Farmer’s Protests against Government Policies.
X later complied following public Criticisms by officials, But it’s Legal Challenge to the Decision is Continuing into the Indian Courts.
