Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea filed by the social media platform X challenging its mandatory onboarding on the government's Sahyog portal and its interpretation of Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. The bench of Justice Nagaprasanna pronounced a verdict on X's plea seeking a declaration that Section 79(3)(b) IT Act does not confer power on the Centre to issue information blocking orders. "Social media must be regulated," Justice Nagaprasanna said. The court noted that freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution is not absolute and is subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2).

Stressing that "unregulated speech under the guise of liberty results in lawlessness," the bench said social media platforms cannot claim an "anarchic freedom" in the Indian digital space.

"The petitioner who seeks sanctuary must be a citizen of the nation. Sahyog portal stands as a beacon of cooperation between citizens and intermediaries. Hence, the challenge is without merit," the court remarked.

Rejecting X's contention of free speech, the High Court underlined that American jurisprudence cannot be transplanted into Indian constitutional thought, adding that judicial thinking on the regulation of speech has evolved in keeping with technological developments.