NEW DELHI: Government on Thursday said that it has “not sent any notice” to Grok or X and is in discussions with the officials to determine which specific Indian law was violated, according to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
“MeitY has not sent any notice to Grok or X. It is in talks with X and Grok. MeitY officials are interacting with the officials of X and examining at what stage it specifically violated and which Indian law has been violated,” government sources told news agency PTI.
This comes after a lawsuit was filed by Elon Musk-owned X against the central government, alleging the misuse of the IT Act to block content on the platform. The case has been submitted to the Karnataka High Court.
The legal petition contests what X describes as “unlawful content regulation and arbitrary censorship”. The platform has expressed concerns regarding the government’s interpretation of the Information Technology (IT) Act, specifically Section 79(3)(b), which according to X, contradicts Supreme Court decisions and restricts online expression, PTI reported.
The legal challenge contends that the government utilises this section to establish an alternative content-blocking system, circumventing the established legal framework detailed in Section 69A.
Under Section 69A of the IT Act, the government maintains authority to request content removal based on national security, public order, or sovereignty considerations, providing organisations with definitive legal guidance.
However, organisations maintain that Section 79(3)(b) lacks clarity, requiring platforms to independently assess content legality, potentially subjecting them to legal challenges or public criticism.
