X Corp Challenges Government's Unlawful Content Takedown Orders

Social media company X Corp reports to the Karnataka High Court, revealing it received 29,118 government requests for content removal, with a 91.49% compliance rate. It disputes the legality of using IT Act Section 79(3)(b) and IT Rules 2021 Rule 3(1)(d), claiming they bypass Constitutional protections outlined in Section 69A.

In a significant legal confrontation, social media giant X Corp has presented itself before the Karnataka High Court, disclosing its receipt of 29,118 government content removal requests from January to June 2025, with compliance standing at 91.49%, equating to 26,641 actions.

X Corp challenges the assertion of a single judge's ruling from September 24, which suggested the platform aims to resist Indian law. Instead, the company argues that these compliance figures contradict the claim.

The core of X Corp's legal appeal centers on the assertion that government bodies are misappropriating Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act and Rule 3(1)(d) of the 2021 IT Rules to issue removal orders for online content in contravention of Section 69A of the IT Act, which they've contended remains the only constitutional means to block content in India.

(With inputs from agencies.)