Kunal Kamra moves High Court against Sahyog portal, calls it assault on free speech

Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has moved the Bombay High Court against the government’s ‘Sahyog’ portal, calling it an “unconstitutional and unreasonable” assault on freedom of speech, as it allows officials to take down social media content.

Editorial | Back door censor: On the government’s SAHYOG portal

The comedian, in his petition filed on Wednesday (February 4, 2026), has primarily challenged the IT rules, which were amended in October 2025, along with the Sahyog portal.

He had claimed that these tools “unlawfully” empower the Central and State government officials “to peremptorily issue takedown or blocking orders, without following the procedure mandated under the Information Technology Act”.

According to the government, Sahyog was developed to automate the process of sending notices to intermediaries by the appropriate government or its agency under the IT Act, 2000, to facilitate the removal or disabling of access to any information, data or communication link being used to commit an unlawful act.

The portal aims to bring together all authorised agencies and intermediaries on one platform to ensure immediate action against the unlawful online information.

“Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules and the Sahyog Portal are also ex facie unconstitutional, as they enable the blocking or takedown of information on internet platforms on wholly vague grounds,” the petition, filed through advocate Meenaz Kakalia.

The plea emphasised that such powers “amount to an unconstitutional and unreasonable restriction on the freedom of speech”.

The comedian claimed that such powers “go beyond the constitutionally permissible grounds that have been exhaustively enumerated under Article 19(2) of the Constitution”.

These new mechanisms render all information on the internet “vulnerable to arbitrary takedowns, providing for no remedy against such action”, the petition stated.

Mr. Kamra asserted that it effectively gives thousands of government officers at the Centre and states power that is left unchecked.

The petition is likely to be heard in the coming days.