By News18
Elon Musk-owned social media platform X (formerly Twitter) told the Karnataka High Court that it is being subjected to arbitrary content takedown orders issued by 鈥渆very Tom, Dick and Harry officer鈥 with little to no oversight. These orders are threatening free expression and platform integrity, the platform said in the court.
What X Said In Karnataka High Court On Takedown Orders
Appearing for X, senior advocate KG Raghavan argued that many recent takedown orders under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act were being issued by low-level government officials, often without proper legal reasoning or due process. He called the situation 鈥渕ischievous鈥 and an example of overreach and abuse of executive power.
Citing a specific example, KG Raghavan referred to a recent order by the Railways Ministry, which sought the removal of a viral video showing a woman driving on railway tracks. KG Raghavan maintained the video was clearly newsworthy and compared the scenario to the classic media test: 鈥淎 dog biting a man is not news, but a man biting a dog certainly is.鈥
He argued that blocking such content arbitrarily amounts to censorship, not regulation.
Representing the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta strongly objected to the 鈥淭om, Dick and Harry鈥 remark, asserting that these were duly appointed officers of the state. He maintained that no digital platform should expect a regulation-free environment and that the state has the right to enforce laws in public interest.
Adding further weight to the debate, the Association of Digital Media Houses also approached the court, stressing that content creators, not just platforms, face the real-world consequences of takedown orders. The group argued that creators should be given a chance to be heard before their content is removed stating that arbitrary censorship endangers digital journalism and artistic freedom. Taking note of all submissions, the Karnataka High Court scheduled the matter for final hearing on July 8.