Kunal Kamra Moves Bombay High Court Against Centre’s Sahyog Portal
Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and senior advocate Haresh Jagtiani have moved the Bombay High Court challenging the validity of the Central government’s Sahyog Portal, an online system used to issue content takedown directions to social media platforms such as X, Meta, and YouTube.
The petition also questions Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023, under which the Sahyog Portal was created. As per this rule, online intermediaries must remove or disable access to information used for an unlawful act within 36 hours of receiving “actual knowledge.”
Although the rule requires that takedown orders clearly mention the legal basis, statutory provision, nature of the unlawful act, and exact online location of the content, Kamra has argued that the Sahyog Portal allows the government to bypass these safeguards.
According to the petition, the portal enables authorities to block or remove online content without issuing prior notice to the content creator or giving them a chance to be heard. These safeguards, it is argued, have already been recognised by the Supreme Court as essential to protect constitutional rights.
Advocate Meenaz Kakalia, appearing for Kamra, stated that the absence of these safeguards makes Rule 3(1)(d) and the Sahyog Portal ultra vires the Information Technology Act, 2000 and contrary to settled judicial precedents.
The plea further contends that the rule gives wide and unchecked powers to thousands of Central and State government officers, making all online information vulnerable to arbitrary takedowns without any effective remedy.
It has also been argued that the vague use of the term “unlawful” allows restrictions beyond those permitted under Article 19(2) of the Constitution, thereby imposing unreasonable limits on free speech and access to information.
Kamra has pointed out that blocking or takedown orders can legally be issued only under Section 69A of the IT Act, read with the 2009 Blocking Rules.
Earlier, X Corp had challenged the Sahyog Portal before the Karnataka High Court, where a single-judge bench upheld the portal’s validity in September 2025. An appeal against that decision is currently pending.
