SG Tushar Mehta Shows Fake X Account in Court to Flag Lax Content Controls
In an interesting courtroom moment, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Friday demonstrated how X (formerly Twitter) allows impersonation of even India’s constitutional institutions, telling the Karnataka High Court that an account on the platform with the name “Supreme Court of Karnataka" had been created and X had allowed it.
“I can show it to your lordships right now,” Mehta said, as he argued that the platform’s policy of permitting anonymous accounts, without meaningful checks or authentication, poses grave dangers to individual dignity and national institutions. He then handed over the mobile phone to the court.
The submission came as the high court continued hearing X Corp’s challenge to the legality of the Ministry of Electronics and IT’s Sahyog portal, which the Centre has designed as a single-point coordination platform to streamline compliance under the IT Rules, 2021. X Corp claims it was not provided statutory notice or legal authority requiring mandatory registration on the portal.
The Solicitor General's move prompted a strong objection from Senior Advocate K.G. Raghavan, appearing for X Corp, who said that if any material is being relied upon, he should be allowed to examine it.
Justice M. Nagaprasanna, however, clarified that the phone demonstration was only an illustration and not evidence that would prejudice the court's mind. “You can rest assured that this illustration will not create any prejudice,” he told Raghavan.
Later on, Senior Advocate Raghavan informed the court that the parody account referenced by the Solicitor General had already been taken down by the platform. To this, SG Mehta, in a lighter tone, said, "So, you've taken action on my notice now!".
During the hearing, SG Tushar Mehta emphasized that the Sahyog portal itself merely facilitates administrative coordination between the government and intermediaries and does not alter the legal obligations already codified under Rule 3(1)(d) or Section 69A of the IT Act. “There’s no coercion here. The portal only sends an intimation. Whether you comply or not, it's up to you,” he argued.
But the core of Mehta’s concern remained the unchecked anonymity on social media platforms. “A person can post content reaching trillions, and their identity can remain completely masked. If someone is aggrieved, who will they proceed against? X has no operational officer in India, just a grievance officer,” he noted.
He added that such lack of responsibility creates a free-for-all environment that facilitates not just hate speech or misinformation, but also impersonation of key institutions. His live demonstration, setting up an account in the name of Supreme Court of Karnataka, was intended to highlight how effortlessly platforms like X allow such impersonation without verifying credentials.
He said that if someone uses such a handle to issue false statements or fake orders, it can cause irreparable harm.
X Corp has argued that being compelled to register on the Sahyog portal violates its fundamental rights, including Article 14. But Mehta questioned whether a foreign company operating in India could invoke constitutional protections to challenge government policy. “You’ve come here to do business. You cannot question how this country's government's policies,” he said.
The hearing will now resume on July 25 at 10:00 AM, when Senior Advocate K.G. Raghavan, appearing for X Corp, will present rejoinder arguments.
Case Title: X Corp vs UOI
Hearing date: July 18, 2025
Bench: Justice M. Nagaprasanna