X Corp gets last opportunity from HC to present proof of takedown order compliance
Bengaluru (PTI): X Corp (formerly Twitter) has been given "one more and last opportunity" by the Karnataka High Court to submit material to show compliance of the blocking orders issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY).
The counsel for X Corp informed the bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice M G S Kamal that he was awaiting instructions from the client and sought time for the same.
The HC, while adjourning the case to September 15, made it clear that it was the last chance the company was being granted. "Today counsel for appellant prays for adjournment on the ground that he is awaiting instruction, accordingly one more and last opportunity is granted. Appeal is adjourned to September 15," the HC recorded.
Twitter (later changed to X Corp) had approached the HC against several blocking orders issued by the MeiTY.
A single-judge bench had dismissed the petition and imposed a cost of Rs 50 lakh for approaching the court without complying with the Ministry's orders.
The company filed an appeal before the division bench which had in an earlier hearing directed it to deposit Rs 25 lakh before the hearing. The Division Bench had also directed Twitter to submit material to show that it had complied with the blocking orders.
The HC during the hearing remarked that it was the duty of the company to satisfy the court; otherwise an inference can be drawn against it. The court said that the Ministry has claimed that there was no compliance by the company. "So, if you are still not in a position to submit before the court, then why should the appeal be allowed," the Court observed orally.
MeiTY had under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act issued 10 Government orders between February 2, 2021 and February 28, 2022 directing it to block 1,474 accounts, 175 Tweets, 256 URLs and one hashtag.
Twitter challenged the orders related to 39 of these URLs.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
