In a new lawsuit against the Indian government, Elon Musk’s X has accused India’s IT ministry of unlawfully expanding censorship powers to make it easier to remove online content. The lawsuit alleges that the IT ministry has empowered numerous government officials to execute content removal orders without the necessary legal safeguards in place. X argues that the ministry is using a government website launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue content blocking orders, creating an “impermissible parallel mechanism” for censorship in India.
The legal dispute between X and the Indian government has escalated, leading to a court filing dated March 5. X is seeking to quash the directive that allows for easier content removal without proper oversight. The case was briefly heard in the High Court of southern Karnataka state, with a final decision scheduled for March 27.
This lawsuit comes as Elon Musk’s other ventures, Starlink and Tesla, are getting closer to launching in India. The legal battle between X and the Indian government began in 2021 when X, formerly Twitter, was involved in a standoff over noncompliance with blocking certain tweets related to a farmers’ protest. X eventually complied but continued its legal challenge in Indian courts.
The lawsuit against India’s IT ministry represents a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute over content removal and censorship powers. X is challenging the government’s actions, alleging that the new mechanism for content removal lacks the necessary legal safeguards and oversight, leading to unrestrained censorship in India.
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