Microblogging site Twitter told the Karnataka High Court on Monday, 26 September, that it was asked by the Centre to block multiple accounts during the farmers protest in and around New Delhi in 2021.
Between February 2021 and February 2022, the Centre issued 10 blocking orders to Twitter to restrict information to the public and suspend several accounts.
Senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for Twitter, emphasised that Section 69 A of the Information Technology Act does not contemplate wholesale blocking of accounts.
“For example, during the farmer’s agitation in Delhi.. they had simply asked to completely block the accounts. When newspapers and TV channels are reporting it, why do you tell me to completely block all these accounts,” Bar and Bench quoted Datar as saying.