India Warns X of Safe Harbour Loss Over Rana Ayyub Tweets

The Government of India informed the Delhi High Court that the social media platform X may lose its safe harbour protection under Section 79(1) of the IT Act for failing to remove six tweets posted by journalist Rana Ayyub between 2013 and 2017. The government stated that X ignored requests from the Delhi Police and judicial orders to take down content that allegedly insulted Hindu deities, the Indian Army, and historical figures like Veer Savarkar.

The legal dispute began with a petition from advocate Amita Sachdeva, who claimed the posts violate her fundamental rights and religious sentiments. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court termed the tweets as "highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal," ordering the government, Delhi Police, and X to take urgent action within 24 hours. This follows a January 2025 magisterial court order for the Delhi Police to register an FIR against Ayyub for allegedly inciting religious disharmony.

X argued that the petition is not maintainable because it is not a state entity and suggested that the court should direct Ayyub to delete the content herself or follow formal blocking procedures under Section 69A of the IT Act. The government is currently considering a blocking request from the Delhi Police dated April 9, 2026. The court has requested responses from Rana Ayyub and the central government, scheduling the next hearing for May 19.