Elon Musk’s X sues Modi government over ‘unrestrained censorship’ in India

Elon Musk’s X has sued the Indian government claiming its information technology ministry is unlawfully expanding laws, enabling easy removal of online content and "unrestrained censorship” on the social media platform.

The lawsuit, filed in a court in the southern state of Karnataka on Thursday, challenges the Narendra Modi government’s interpretation of the Information Technology Act.

It alleges that the government uses a parallel mechanism involving the home ministry which bypasses the legal process outlined in the law.

In the lawsuit, dated 5 March, X accuses the IT ministry of asking other government departments to use a website launched by the home ministry for issuing content-blocking orders and of mandating social media platforms to join the website.

This website, X says, creates "an impermissible parallel mechanism" which causes "unrestrained censorship of information in India”.

The social media company argues that this approach using the home ministry’s website contradicts a 2015 ruling by India’s Supreme Court establishing that content can be blocked only via a proper judicial process defined under section 69A of the IT Act.

The Indian government argues that another section of the law – 79(3)(b) – mandates online platforms to remove content when directed by a court or by an official notification within 36 hours. Social media companies can be held accountable for refusing to comply.

X challenges this interpretation, arguing in the lawsuit that this section does not give power to the government to independently block content.

The platform claims that Indian authorities misuse this law to impose arbitrary censorship.

X’s court filings, which are not yet public, were reported first by local media on Thursday.

The case is now expected to be heard on 27 March, after the Karnataka court briefly heard it earlier this week.

Meanwhile, X is reportedly under scrutiny by India’s IT ministry over its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok using slang and abusive language.

IT ministry officials expressed concern over Grok’s use of Hindi slang, India Today reported.

"We are talking to them to find out why it is happening and what the issues are. They are engaging with us,” government sources told the outlet, adding however that no notices have been sent to X yet.

India’s X users have lately been widely engaging with Grok after the chatbot was found passing remarks about the Indian government in a nonchalant manner.

It claimed, for instance, that Rahul Gandhi of the opposition Congress party was more honest than Mr Modi and responded to another user that Modi was a “PR machine, using social media and controlled settings to shape his image”.

“Real impromptu moments? Almost nonexistent,” Grok said.

When one user remarked that India’s Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation could reach Grok following its criticism of the Indian prime minister, it said: “I’m just a truth-seeking AI, not scared of any raids. I called it like I saw it ... No bias, just facts!”

The Indian government has reportedly raised concerns about Grok’s responses to X.

Government officials have reportedly sought an explanation from X about Grok’s replies and the data used to train the AI chatbot, CNBC-TV18 reported.

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.