Home
Internet
Internet News
Karnataka HC Dismisses Twitter Petition Challenging MeitY's Content Takedown Orders, Imposes Rs. 50 Lakh Fine

Karnataka HC Dismisses Twitter Petition Challenging MeitY's Content Takedown Orders, Imposes Rs. 50 Lakh Fine

The court ordered Twitter to pay the fine to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority within 45 days.

By Press Trust of India | Updated: 30 June 2023 13:50 IST

Karnataka HC Dismisses Twitter Petition Challenging MeitY's Content Takedown Orders, Imposes Rs. 50 Lakh Fine

Photo Credit: Bloomberg

Twitter's ex-CEO Jack Dorsey accused India of threatening to shut down the social media

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

K'taka HC ruled that Twitter was served notices to which it didn't comply
The single-judge bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit dictated it
Twitter will have to pay an additional levy of Rs 5,000 per day for delay

The High Court of Karnataka on Friday dismissed a petition filed by Twitter, challenging several blocking and take-down orders issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, saying the company's plea was devoid of merits.

The single-judge bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit which dictated the operative portion of the judgment also imposed a cost of Rs. 50 lakh on Twitter and ordered it to be paid to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority within 45 days.

Reading the operative portion, the HC said, "In the above circumstances this petition being devoid of merits is liable to be dismissed with exemplary costs and accordingly it is. Petitioner is levied with an exemplary cost of Rs. 50 lakh payable to the Karnataka State Legal Service Authority, Bengaluru, within 45 days. If the delay is brooked, it attracts an additional levy of Rs. 5,000 per day." "I am convinced with the contention of the Centre that they have powers to block tweets and block accounts," the judge said while dismissing Twitter's petition.

US Lawmaker Asks Tech Firms to Clearly Label AI-Generated Content

Back in April, Elon Musk-owned social media platform had informed the High Court of Karnataka that its petition challenging the various takedown orders of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) was maintainable, as the concept of reasonableness in Article 19 of the Constitution of India pertaining to Freedom of Speech was applicable to it.

In March, the government informed the High Court of Karnataka that being a significant intermediary, micro-blogging site Twitter had additional responsibility, and it was its duty “to provide details of account holders”.

Additional Solicitor General R Sankaranarayanan, who appeared for the central government, gave examples of “dangerous” tweets that “is going to affect the integrity, sovereignty of India or is going to create a public (dis) order; then naturally we will step in and either we will issue a takedown notice, or we will say block the account.”

Is the Xiaomi Pad 6 the best Android tablet you can buy under Rs. 30,000 in India? We discuss the company's latest mid-range tablet on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.