Context:
The Karnataka High Court upheld the validity of the Union government’s Sahyog portal, which enables police and authorised agencies to send content takedown requests directly to social media platforms. X (formerly Twitter) had challenged this mechanism, arguing it amounted to censorship without judicial oversight.
What is the Sahyog Portal?
- The Sahyog portal is an online platform created by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), maintained via the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
- It was launched in October 2024 to automate and streamline the issuance of content takedown notices by government agencies, police, and other authorized bodies under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.
- The stated intent is to “expedite the process of sending notices to IT intermediaries” (social media platforms, ISPs, etc.) for removing or disabling access to content deemed “unlawful.”
How Sahyog Portal Works
- Nodal / authorized agencies issue takedown or removal notices via the portal to internet intermediaries.
- IT intermediaries receive notices and are required to act—either remove content or respond with reasons or request further evidence.
- The portal enables an integrated dashboard view so agencies can track action taken or non-compliance.
- Platforms can seek additional information or contest a notice in specific cases.
- The portal covers multiple agencies—central, state, police, ministries—and many intermediaries (e.g. Google, YouTube, Apple) have been onboarded.
