KARNATAKA HC REJECTS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM X CORP'S PETITION CHALLENGING TAKE DOWN ORDERS

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed X Corp's challenge to the validity of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which empowers government officers to issue information blocking orders through the Sahyog portal.

- TDG NETWORK

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Justice Nagaprassana held that X Corp's plea, which claimed that only Section 69A of the IT Act read with the Blocking Rules could authorise blocking orders, was without merit.

The court observed that free speech in India is governed by Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, but it remains subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2). Crucially, the court noted that:

"Article 19 is a charter of rights conferred upon citizens only. A petitioner who seeks sanctuary under its canopy must be a citizen of the nation, failing which the protective embrace of Article 19 cannot be invoked."