India’s government has characterized Elon Musk’s Twitter, now known as X, as a “habitual non-compliant platform” in an ongoing legal dispute. According to a confidential legal document dated August 24, the Indian IT ministry claims that X has consistently failed to adhere to content removal orders, undermining the government’s authority.

This legal showdown arises from New Delhi’s allegations of non-compliance with content removal orders against X, formerly known as Twitter. In June, Karnataka’s High Court imposed a fine of 5 million rupees ($60,291) on the platform for not complying with multiple blocking orders. Twitter contested this decision, arguing that it could lead to broader censorship.

Meanwhile, X has sought court intervention to block the fine. In its 28-page filing, the IT ministry stated that X had undermined “the role of the government in a democratic setup” by unblocking certain accounts, which the government had ordered to be blocked, without its knowledge.

The ministry also highlighted X’s “significantly low” compliance rates with government requests and emphasized the government’s duty to ensure that platforms operate in a legally compliant manner.

The dispute between India and X dates back to 2021 when the platform refused to block certain accounts related to farmer protests against government policies. Indian authorities have also requested the removal of content, including posts allegedly spreading misinformation about farmer protests, tweets critical of the government’s COVID-19 pandemic response, and accounts supporting an independent Sikh state.

The June ruling against Twitter followed a lawsuit filed by the company in 2022, before it was owned by Musk, challenging India’s content removal orders. Under Musk’s ownership, X has continued its legal challenge to that ruling since August.

In its latest court filing, India’s government argues that X is “advocating a dangerous trend” by attempting to judge the merits of government orders, potentially making all platforms the “final arbitrator of lawful orders.”

These ongoing legal battles come as Musk’s Tesla discusses plans to establish an electric vehicle factory in India.

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