Govt action of suspending account ‘Hindutva Watch’ was ‘unjustified’ : Social media platform ‘X’

Anti-Hindu bias of ‘X’ exposed

New Delhi – The social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has argued in the Delhi High Court that the Indian Government’s decision to block the ‘Hindutva Watch’ account, run by Kashmiri journalist Rakib Hameed, was unjustified. Hameed had challenged the action against his account in the Court. At that time, X also recorded its statement before the Court. The company further said that if the Court orders it, it is committed to reinstate the ‘Hindutva Watch’ account. However, X has also clarified that Rakib Hameed’s plea against ‘X’ is not maintainable as X platform is only an intermediary and not part of the ‘State’under Article 12 of the Constitution.

1. X has placed the entire blame on the Government, claiming the decision violated Section 69A of the Information Technology Act and exceeded the limitations set under Article 19(2) of the Constitution.

2. ‘X’ said that in January 2024, a notice was issued by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It included several social media accounts that the Government wanted to block. The Union Government claimed that there was a possibility of inciting violence and disrupting public law through these accounts.

3. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for October 3^rd.

4. Raqib Hameed claimed that his account was functioning only to investigate reports of atrocities against minorities in India. In reality, however, hatred was being spread against Hindus through that account.

Editorial Perspective

Despite its stance, this incident highlights the growing concerns about X’s supposed neutrality, raising questions about its actual role in promoting free speech versus selective censorship.