New Delhi, July 18 -- The Centre told the Karnataka High Court that unchecked unlawful content on social media under the guise of free speech poses a serious threat to democracy. It accused Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) of misusing the IT Act's 'safe harbour' clause to dodge accountability.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a) is not absolute and cannot protect unlawful content. "There's a clear difference between speech that enriches democratic debate and content that harms social stability," he said.

The government clarified that 'safe harbour'-a shield for social platforms from liability over user content-is not an inherent right, but a privilege tied to strict legal compli...