The US-based social media giant Twitter on Tuesday moved the Karnataka High Court, challenging the Government’s orders to take down content under the new IT rules, saying it is an abuse of power by officials. July 4 was the last day for complying with the Union Ministry of Electronics’ directions and the company complied with it on the last day and then moved the court.

Twitter has taken legal recourse after the Union Electronics and Information Technology Ministry warned it of penal action if it refused to comply with the directive to take down controversial tweets flagged by the authorities last year in January and April.

According to news agency PTI, Twitter has filed a case in the HC, saying the several directions placed by the Government are allegedly for action against political content that has been posted by official handles of political parties and blocking of such information is a violation of the freedom of speech guaranteed to citizen users of the platform.

“The content requested to be blocked does not have any apparent proximate relationship to the ground under Section 69A,” said the lawyers who had access to Twitter’s petition filed in the court.

Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a tweet said all platforms have the right to approach court but they have an unambiguous obligation to comply with laws.

“In India, all, including foreign Internet intermediaries/platforms, have the right to court n judicial review. But equally ALL intermediaries/platforms operating here have an unambiguous obligation to comply with our laws n rules,” Chandrasekhar tweeted.   According to the Twitter petition, several blocking orders were issued under Section 69A but failed to demonstrate how the content falls within those grounds or how the said content is violative of Section 69A, said the lawyers. “Twitter has sought judicial review of the blocking orders from the court,” they said.

The Government in May had asked Twitter to act on content related to Khalistan and accounts eulogising terrorists in Kashmir. Later in June, the Government asked Twitter to act on around 60 accounts. Twitter has taken action on the request and reported compliance.

On June 26, the microblogging site submitted a separate list of over 80 Twitter accounts and tweets that it blocked based on a request from the Government in 2021.

The request from the Government was to block multiple accounts and some tweets from the international advocacy group Freedom House, journalists, politicians, and supporters of the farmers’ protest.

Meanwhile, in Delhi, reacting to a question, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said how to make social media accountable has become a very valid question across the globe. “Self-regulation is a first step in the direction of making social media accountable, followed by industry regulation, and then Government regulations, ‘’ he said.

“Social media is a very powerful medium. Social media has a big influence on our lives. How to make it accountable has become a very valid question across the globe.

All across the globe, countries and societies are moving in the direction of making social media accountable,” he said while interacting with media persons on the sideline of a programme.