Clash between Musk and Modi: Unveiling the disagreement on India's internet restriction policies
In a significant legal battle, Elon Musk's social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), is currently engaged in a lawsuit against the Indian government in the Karnataka High Court. The lawsuit, filed in March 2023, contests India’s expanded internet censorship laws, specifically targeting the government’s new online content rules and the Sahyog portal—a centralised takedown system introduced in 2024.
Widened Scope of Takedown Orders
Since 2023, India has increased efforts to police the internet by allowing many more officials to file takedown orders and to submit them directly to tech firms through the government website, Sahyog, launched in October 2024. For years, only India's IT and Information Broadcasting ministries could order content removal, but in 2023, Modi's IT ministry empowered all federal and state agencies and police to issue takedown notices for "any information which is prohibited under any law".
Allegations of Violating Free Speech Rights
X argues that these censorship orders, many targeting posts critical of politicians or covering sensitive news, violate free speech rights and lack due legal process. The company claims that these broad regulations go beyond combating misinformation and suppress political criticism, satire, and legitimate news coverage—actions it believes exceed constitutional limits.
The Sahyog Portal and Its Controversy
The dispute escalated after X refused to cooperate with the Sahyog portal, which it labels a “censorship portal” that enables government bodies to issue removal orders without proper judicial oversight. The government, on the other hand, contends that its approach tackles a proliferation of unlawful content and ensures accountability online.
Notable Cases of Takedown Orders
The takedown orders include many that sought to counter misinformation, but they also encompass directives by Modi's administration to remove news about a deadly stampede, and demands from state police to scrub cartoons that depicted the prime minister in an unfavorable light or mocked local politicians.
One such example is a post on Elon Musk's social media platform, X, which was flagged by the police in the Indian city of Satara for potential communal tension. Another cartoon that mocked the state government's lack of preparedness for floods was also targeted for removal by police in Chennai.
Ongoing Legal Battle
As of August 2025, the case remains active but unresolved, with no final ruling published yet. This legal challenge represents a significant confrontation highlighting tensions over digital free speech and governmental control over online platforms in India. Despite Elon Musk and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reportedly cordial personal relations, this case underscores the complexities and controversies surrounding internet censorship, constitutional freedoms, and regulation enforcement in India.
[1] The Washington Post [2] The New York Times [4] The Guardian [5] BBC News
- The legal battle between Elon Musk's social media platform, X, and the Indian government in the Karnataka High Court revolves around X contesting India’s expanded internet censorship laws, particularly the government’s new online content rules and the Sahyog portal.
- X alleges that these censorship orders, many targeting posts critical of politicians or covering sensitive news, violate free speech rights and lack due legal process, going beyond combating misinformation and suppressing political criticism, satire, and legitimate news coverage.
- The dispute between X and the government escalated after X refused to cooperate with the Sahyog portal, a centralized takedown system introduced in 2024, deeming it a "censorship portal" that enables government bodies to issue removal orders without proper judicial oversight.
- Notable cases of takedown orders in India include directives to remove news about a deadly stampede, and demands from state police to scrub cartoons that depicted the prime minister or local politicians in an unfavorable light, such as a post on Elon Musk’s platform, X, flagged by the police in the Indian city of Satara for potential communal tension, and another cartoon that mocked the state government’s lack of preparedness for floods in Chennai.
