The Crossbill News Desk
A steady stream of content takedown orders issued to X Corp by the Union home affairs ministry has come into focus amid an ongoing legal dispute over the powers used to block online material.
Since March 2024, the ministry has sent at least 91 notices to the social media platform, flagging more than 1,100 URLs for alleged violations of different laws, The Indian Express has reported.
The takedown notices were issued through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. The same provision is also used by the ministry’s Sahyog portal to direct platforms to remove content — a mechanism that X Corp has formally challenged in court.
Of the 91 notices sent so far, 58 were issued in 2024 alone. As many as 24 of these cited violations related to public tranquility and the promotion of enmity, while three notices last year flagged content deemed a threat to national integrity and sovereignty.
In contrast, only 14 notices were linked to alleged criminal activity such as the promotion of betting apps, impersonation of official handles or the circulation of child sexual abuse material.
Data cited in the report show that more than half of the URLs flagged — 566 links — were targeted for “disturbing public order”, while 124 URLs were accused of targeting political and public figures.
One notice issued on May 13 last year listed the highest number of URLs in a single order, flagging 115 links for “spreading misinformation with the intention to influence ongoing electoral processes” through an allegedly doctored video.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections alone, a total of 761 URLs were flagged. Of these, 198 URLs were mentioned in nine notices for violations of the Representation of People’s Act.
Earlier reporting has shown that between March 2024 and June 2025, Union and state governments ordered X Corp to take down around 1,400 posts or accounts, with nearly 70% of these directives originating from the I4C.
The growing number of takedown orders has coincided with a legal battle between the platform and the government. In an affidavit filed before the Delhi high court, the home ministry said that X Corp has been “objecting the unlawful content raised in the notices and authority to notify for removal of such content under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act”.
X Corp has separately challenged the validity of the Sahyog portal in the Kerala high court. The portal, like the I4C, issues takedown orders under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. The company has argued that such directions should instead be issued under Section 69A of the Act, contending that Section 79(3)(b) expands the scope of content blocking without adequate procedural safeguards.
Since March 2024, the ministry has sent at least 91 notices to the social media platform, flagging more than 1,100 URLs for alleged violations of different laws, The Indian Express has reported.
The takedown notices were issued through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. The same provision is also used by the ministry’s Sahyog portal to direct platforms to remove content — a mechanism that X Corp has formally challenged in court.
Of the 91 notices sent so far, 58 were issued in 2024 alone. As many as 24 of these cited violations related to public tranquility and the promotion of enmity, while three notices last year flagged content deemed a threat to national integrity and sovereignty.
In contrast, only 14 notices were linked to alleged criminal activity such as the promotion of betting apps, impersonation of official handles or the circulation of child sexual abuse material.
Data cited in the report show that more than half of the URLs flagged — 566 links — were targeted for “disturbing public order”, while 124 URLs were accused of targeting political and public figures.
One notice issued on May 13 last year listed the highest number of URLs in a single order, flagging 115 links for “spreading misinformation with the intention to influence ongoing electoral processes” through an allegedly doctored video.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections alone, a total of 761 URLs were flagged. Of these, 198 URLs were mentioned in nine notices for violations of the Representation of People’s Act.
Earlier reporting has shown that between March 2024 and June 2025, Union and state governments ordered X Corp to take down around 1,400 posts or accounts, with nearly 70% of these directives originating from the I4C.
The growing number of takedown orders has coincided with a legal battle between the platform and the government. In an affidavit filed before the Delhi high court, the home ministry said that X Corp has been “objecting the unlawful content raised in the notices and authority to notify for removal of such content under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act”.
X Corp has separately challenged the validity of the Sahyog portal in the Kerala high court. The portal, like the I4C, issues takedown orders under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. The company has argued that such directions should instead be issued under Section 69A of the Act, contending that Section 79(3)(b) expands the scope of content blocking without adequate procedural safeguards.
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