The simmering conflict between X, the platform once known as Twitter, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has erupted into a full-blown legal showdown. On March 5, 2025, X initiated a daring lawsuit against India’s IT Ministry, accusing it of overstepping its authority by expanding censorship practices that threaten online freedom. This aggressive move intensifies an already fraught battle over how content is policed on the internet in India.
At the heart of X’s grievance is a claim that the IT Ministry has illegally broadened its powers to suppress digital content with alarming ease. The lawsuit zeroes in on a government website, unveiled last year by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which the IT Ministry has now ordered other departments to use for issuing content-blocking commands. Social media giants, including X, are being compelled to adopt this platform as well. X contends that this system dismantles critical legal protections—such as requirements that content removal be justified by threats to national sovereignty or public order, and be subject to senior-level oversight—paving the way for rampant censorship without accountability.
X’s legal action demands the cancellation of this directive, arguing that it hands the government a tool for stifling dissent under the guise of regulation. The case landed in the High Court of Karnataka earlier this week for an initial hearing, with the next session slated for March 27, 2025—coinciding with this report. When pressed for a response, the IT Ministry deflected inquiries to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which has remained silent on the matter.
This isn’t X’s first rodeo with Modi’s government. Back in 2021, the platform locked horns with authorities after resisting orders to mute tweets tied to the farmers’ protests that gripped the nation. Though X eventually bowed to public and governmental pressure, it simultaneously filed a legal challenge that continues to wind through the courts. The current lawsuit builds on that history, casting X as a defiant player unwilling to let India’s regulatory grip tighten unchecked.
India’s vast online population makes it a pivotal arena for clashes over digital rights, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The government has long framed its content controls as vital for maintaining order and curbing misinformation, but X’s lawsuit paints a starkly different picture—one of a bureaucracy weaponizing technology to silence voices at will. The disputed website, X argues, exemplifies this overreach by streamlining takedowns in a way that lacks transparency or judicial review.
As X takes this bold stand, the outcome of its legal gambit could reshape the landscape for social media in India. Will the Karnataka High Court side with the platform’s call for restraint, or will it uphold the government’s push for control? For now, X is charging ahead, framing its fight as a defense of both its business interests and the broader principle of free expression. With the next hearing imminent, the tech world—and India’s millions of internet users—are watching closely.
