Why Karnataka HC said 2015 SC ruling on free speech
The Karnataka High Court just ruled that the 2015 Supreme Court decision on online free speech doesn't cover today's IT Rules, since India's internet scene has exploded from 250 million to nearly a billion users.
This came as the court rejected X Corp's (formerly Twitter) challenge to the government's Sahyog portal, saying digital laws need to keep up with changing times.
Court backs government's power to order content takedowns
The court made it clear: only Indian citizens have constitutional free speech rights here—foreign companies like X Corp don't.
Justice M Nagaprasanna pointed out that even for Indians, free expression comes with reasonable limits.
The court also backed the government's power under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Rules to order content takedowns, reinforcing that Indian law sets the rules for what stays online.