The Centre, in its affidavit before the Gujarat High Court during hearings on a PIL flagging the rise of deepfake and AI-generated content, said X has responded to only 13 of 94 takedown intimations issued since 2024. According to LiveLaw, the affidavit details that authorities sent 60 intimations in 2024 (1,029 URLs), 33 in 2025 (121 URLs), and one in 2026 (10 URLs), totalling 1,160 URLs. X replied to 12 in 2024 and one in 2025, while partially disabling 788 URLs in 2024, 70 in 2025, and six in 2026. The Centre added that 524 intermediaries, including Meta and Google, are on the SAHYOG portal, but X is not fully onboarded.
Centre says there is a compliance gap: Further, the Centre argued that the issue is not the absence of legal or institutional frameworks but inconsistent compliance by intermediaries. It pointed to the IT Act and the amended IT Rules, alongside the SAHYOG portal, which has been operational since October 2024, as sufficient infrastructure for coordinated, time-bound enforcement. However, it flagged delays, incomplete responses, and failures to meet obligations such as the three-hour takedown rule, removal of duplicate unlawful content, and timely data-sharing with law enforcement, which undermine investigations and enforcement.
Court directions: Meanwhile, the division bench issued notice to Meta, Google, X, Reddit, and Scribd, directing them to respond to both the petition and government affidavits. It asked intermediaries to ensure swift compliance with takedown notices under Section 79(3)(b) and to onboard the SAHYOG portal for better coordination.
Draft IT rules amendment increases government oversight: The draft IT Rules amendments give the Centre more power over online speech. First, they extend the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s (MIB) Code of Ethics to user-generated “news and current affairs” content, bringing ordinary users under scrutiny. Next, they make compliance with MeitY advisories mandatory by linking it to safe harbour protections.
Further, they allow the government to trigger IDC reviews without public complaints. Finally, they override the 180-day data retention cap, enabling longer storage where other laws apply. Separately, the government is planning to tighten the takedown window for intermediaries to 1 hour, making it the shortest takedown timeline in the world.
Censorship online: MediaNama found a sharp surge in online censorship in March 2026, documenting over 40 instances of geo-blocking, account withholding, and content takedowns. These actions, in turn, targeted more than 30 individuals, including journalists, satirists, and ordinary users, often for posts critical of the Prime Minister or government.
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