Blow to Twitter India: High Court’s Judgment

The Karnataka High Court has dismissed Twitter’s petition challenging blocking and take-down orders by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The court also imposed a fine of ₹50 lakhs on Twitter, to be paid within 45 days.

The judge stated that the government has the power to block tweets and accounts. Following the dismissal of Twitter’s plea, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar emphasized the need for online platforms to be responsible and comply with Indian law.

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey had recently claimed in an interview that the Indian government threatened to shut down the platform and conduct raids on employees’ residences. He stated that India had requested the removal of tweets and accounts related to the farmers’ protest in 2020 and asked Twitter to ban the accounts of journalists critical of the government.

However, the Indian government had denied these allegations and accused Twitter of violating laws. Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar responded to Dorsey’s claims on Twitter, calling them outright lies and an attempt to cover up Twitter’s controversial history.

Now the same minister is rejoicing that Twitter should follow the land of the law and they have the right to ban or close accounts that speak against the government.