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.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
