Centre Calls Out Twitter, Meta In Court For Suspending Accounts: Report

In a court case last year, Twitter agreed to comply with new rules while Meta has challenged in court the rules that can also force its messaging platform WhatsApp to break its encryption.

The Indian government reversed its stance, calling out Twitter Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. for suspending accounts that violate the social media giants' community guidelines.

Twitter's decision to suspend lawyer Sanjay Hegde's account about three years ago violates the Indian constitution and free speech rights, the Ministry of Information Technology said in a court filing last week, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

This follows a filing last month, where the government said Meta and Twitter must follow Indian laws that require the firms to give users a reasonable chance to defend themselves before a post is removed or the account suspended, except in extreme cases such as content relating to rape threats or terrorism, the people said, asking not to be identified as the details are private.

The government's current stance contrasts with a 2019 filing, when it said the matter was for Hegde and Twitter to resolve.