New Delhi, Feb. 11 -- Social media companies must now remove or disable access to certain unlawful or harmful content within three hours of receiving a valid government direction, a formal grievance, or becoming aware of a clear violation, under amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, notified on Tuesday. The new deadline - a sharp reduction from the previous 36-hour window under Rule 3(1)(d)-was not part of draft amendments released by the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) in October 2025. The amendments take effect on February 20, 2026. Legal experts warned the shift leaves little room for careful review, especially in cases involving subjective violations such as copyright disputes or fair use claims, and could force platforms to remove reported content first and assess it later, increasing the risk of over-takedown. "Experience has shown us that intermediaries are capable of actually acting fairly fast. There have been cases when they have been able to act within minutes...," a senior MeitY official said. P7...