Elon Musk's X sues Indian govt over 'unlawful' censorship

Elon Musk-owned X has filed a legal petition in the Karnataka High Court, arguing that the Indian government’s use of Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act and the Sahyog Portal creates an unlawful and unregulated censorship mechanism that bypasses statutory safeguards.

The petition comes after the Central government asked X to clarify the responses generated by its AI chatbot, Grok.

X argued that the government violated the Supreme Court’s 2015 Shreya Singhal judgment, which declared that content could only be blocked through a competent court order or under Section 69A’s structured process.

During the first hearing, the government said that no action has been taken against X for not joining Sahyog Portal. According to Moneycontrol report, the court has also granted liberty to X to move the court if the government takes any preemptive action against X regarding the matter. The next hearing is on March 27.

Read more: MeitY in contact with X over Grok's controversial responses

The chatbot is making waves on X with its unfiltered responses, raising debates on AI's role in online interactions. AI chatbot Grok has irked many users in India, stirring controversies. The Grok AI has been reported to generate responses that are inflammatory, politically biased, or offensive, raising concerns about content moderation and responsible AI use. Unlike traditional AI models that undergo rigorous filtering, Grok appears to have fewer guardrails, leading to unpredictable and potentially harmful outputs.

Previously in 2022, X challenged takedown orders issued under Section 69A, arguing that the government’s directives lacked transparency and violated free speech protections.