Stand-up Comic Kunal Kamra. File image
| Photograph Credit score: The Hindu
Humorist Kunal Kamra has moved the Bombay Excessive Court docket, difficult the validity of the federal government’s ‘Sahyog’ portal, which allows the blocking of content material posted on social media. He has referred to as it an “unconstitutional and unreasonable” assault on the liberty of speech.
Editorial | Again door censor: On the federal government’s SAHYOG portal
The petition, filed by Mr. Kamra earlier this week, has challenged a number of the IT Guidelines amended in October 2025. “Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Guidelines and the Sahyog Portal are additionally ex facie unconstitutional, as they permit the blocking or takedown of data on Web platforms on wholly obscure grounds,” the petition, accessed by The Hindu, acknowledged.
The Sahyog portal is a centralised on-line platform used to automate and streamline the issuance of, and compliance with, content material take-down notices for “illegal on-line content material”. It was launched in 2024.
“The continued functioning of this portal has a profound and deeply prejudicial impression on the train of key basic rights of residents of India. It impacts each the power of the residents to speak freely and categorical themselves, and in addition impacts the free circulate of data in our democracy,” the petition has acknowledged.
The petition has sought that Rule 3(1)(d)(ii) (which mandates that intermediaries ought to take away or disable entry to illegal content material — regarding state safety, public order, or defamation — inside 24 hours of receiving a courtroom order or authorities notification), be declared unconstitutional, and towards a number of basic rights. Mr. Kamra has sought the suspension of Sahyog portal until the listening to of the petition.
Privileges committee listening to
In one other improvement, Mr. Kamra on Friday (February 6, 2025) contested the declare of the Maharashtra Legislature’s Privileges Committee that the listening to of the breach of privilege movement towards him was adjourned on the premise of his request. The privileges committee later clarified that an adjournment was sought by one other legislator who has additionally been served a discover together with Mr. Kamra. The listening to will now happen on February 17.
Breach of privilege proceedings had been instituted towards him final yr for his feedback on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde throughout a stand-up present. In keeping with the breach of privilege movement, Mr. Kamra’s remarks had “insulted” the State of Maharashtra and the legislature.
Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Sushma Andhare was additionally served a discover together with Mr. Kamra, as she had supported the comic and had made related feedback.
Sharing data on social media in regards to the listening to which was to happen on February 5, Mr. Kamra stated that he had flown in to Mumbai on February 4 to attend the proceedings. “On Wednesday night [February 4, 2026], at round 6 p.m., I acquired a name from an officer on the Vidhan Sabha, stating that the listening to was to be adjourned. This was adopted by a letter confirming the adjournment,” he acknowledged in his publish on social media platform X.
“We acquired a request from Ms. Andhare that the proceedings be adjourned to a different date, as she couldn’t journey from Pune to Mumbai on February 5 as a result of tanker accident on the expressway. We can’t delink the listening to of a discover despatched to each of them. They should be heard collectively. So, we postponed it,” Prasad Lad, chairperson of the committee and BJP MLC, instructed The Hindu on Friday (February 6, 2026).
Printed – February 06, 2026 04:25 pm IST
