X Corp told the Karnataka High Court, that government takedown orders targeting social media posts lack consistency and violate due process. The court, led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, was hearing X Corp's petition against blocking orders issued by various government officers under Section 79(3)(B) of the IT Act.
X Corp argued that content takedowns must follow the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the Shreya Singhal case, specifically under Section 69(A) of the IT Act, which provides clear procedures and safeguards. Section 79(3)(B), they argued, only removes the legal protection given to platforms if they fail to act on illegal content, but does not itself authorise content removal.
Senior advocate K.G. Raghavan, representing X Corp, said Section 69(A) was upheld by the Supreme Court due to its checks and balances, while 66A was struck down. He argued that similar safeguards should apply to 79(3)(B) and questioned the vague enforcement under Rule 3(1)(d), which lacks standardisation across states.
Raghavan noted that officers interpret unlawful content differently in each state, leading to arbitrary and inconsistent takedown orders. He stressed the need for centralised coordination and clear guidelines to prevent misuse.
X Corp also revealed it was ordered to block 2,355 accounts under Section 69(A), including international news sites like Reuters and Reuters World — though both were later unblocked. The platform has advised affected users to seek legal remedies through courts.