Overview
- Filed on February 4, the writ petitions seek to disable the Sahyog portal and to restrain authorities from acting under the amended Rule 3(1)(d) pending judicial review.
- The government-run portal, launched in 2024 and managed by I4C under the Home Ministry, routes takedown notices to intermediaries who are expected to act within 36 hours, a regime formalised by an amendment effective November 15, 2025.
- The petitioners contend the framework lets thousands of officers order unilateral removals without notifying content originators, violating Articles 19(1)(a), 19(1)(g) and 14 and exceeding the IT Act’s scope.
- The Bombay High Court has listed the case for March 16, with the filings citing the court’s 2024 decision striking down a Fact Check Unit rule, even as a Karnataka High Court single judge upheld Sahyog in 2025 pending appeal.
- The Centre defends Sahyog as a facilitation mechanism with added safeguards, and RTI data reported by The Indian Express shows over 2,300 blocking orders were sent to 19 platforms via the portal between October 2024 and October 2025.