New Delhi – Social media platform X announced Monday its plan to appeal an Indian court order that would empower over two million police officers nationwide to issue arbitrary content takedown requests via a secretive online portal known as Sahyog. The ruling by the High Court of Karnataka last week dismissed X’s legal challenge to India’s content removal mechanisms, intensifying the global debate over digital free expression and state surveillance in the world’s most populous nation.
In its first statement since the ruling, X posted on the platform: “We will appeal this order to defend free expression.”
The company raised serious due process concerns regarding the newly expanded system. “The Sahyog enables officers to order content removal based solely on allegations of ‘illegality,’ without judicial review or due process for the speakers, and threatens platforms with criminal liability for non-compliance,” X stated on Monday.
Clash Over Censorship and Accountability
X has previously clashed with New Delhi over content removal demands, consistently equating the government’s mechanisms with censorship. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, has maintained that the new system is a necessary tool to tackle the proliferation of unlawful content and ensure greater accountability online.
X owner Elon Musk, a self-described free-speech absolutist, has engaged in similar conflicts with authorities in several countries over demands for compliance and content takedowns. However, X’s lawsuit in India targeted the entire foundation for tightened internet regulation, representing a significant legal confrontation.
Modi’s government has actively ramped up efforts to police the internet since 2023 by allowing a significantly higher number of officials to file takedown orders and submit them directly to tech firms through a dedicated website launched in October. This legal battle highlights the growing tension between state authority and the rights of platform users globally.
