K’taka HC Dismisses Twitter’s Plea, Imposes ₹50 Lakh Penalty

The Karnataka High Court on Friday dismissed Twitter’s petition challenging ten blocking orders issued by the Central government between February 2021 and 2022.

The Court imposed a ₹50 lakh penalty on Twitter, stating that it failed to provide reasons for not complying with the government’s blocking demands promptly. The Court emphasized that Twitter, being a billionaire company, is well-versed in the law.

A single-judge Justice Dixit confirmed that the Central government has the authority to block tweets and accounts. The judgment addressed various issues, such as the communication of reasons to users and the duration of tweet blocking. Twitter must pay the costs within 45 days, with a daily penalty of ₹5,000 for any delay.

The verdict was reserved on April 21 after extensive arguments from both parties. Twitter argued that blocking orders should contain reasons and be limited to content aligned with Section 69A of the IT Act. The company claimed that Article 226 of the Constitution allows it to approach the Court. Conversely, the Central government asserted that Twitter had no standing to file the petition and that the blocking orders were justified due to its foreign entity status.

Twitter’s petition contended that account-level blocking violated users’ constitutional rights. Among the 1,474 accounts and 175 tweets involved, Twitter challenged the blocking of only 39 URLs. The company alleged that the orders were arbitrary and inconsistent with Section 69A of the IT Act and the Blocking Rules.

The Central government argued that blocking certain Twitter accounts was necessary for national interest and preventing incidents of violence. It emphasized its commitment to an open and safe internet within limited blocking powers.