India may take criminal action against ‘Provocative’ Queries to Elon Musk’s AI Chatbot Grok: Media reports

New Delhi, March 21: Posing questions to Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, that provoke inflammatory responses could lead to criminal action against both users and the platform, according to official sources quoted by TOI. This comes as the government reiterated to X (formerly Twitter) that it must comply with content takedown laws, The Times of India reported.

X has filed a lawsuit in the Karnataka High Court, challenging what it calls the Indian government’s unlawful content regulation and arbitrary censorship. The platform argues that Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act is being misused to issue takedown orders without following proper legal procedures.

X insists that only Section 69A of the IT Act, along with the IT Rules of 2009, should govern content blocking, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shreya Singhal vs Union of India (2015), Moneycontrol reported. The petition, set for hearing on March 27, argues that the government is bypassing legal safeguards to regulate online content.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is closely monitoring the issue after Grok was found using Hindi slang and abusive language in responses on X. A senior government official told The Economic Times, “We are deeply engaged with X on this issue and expect swift action.”

During an earlier court hearing on March 17, Justice M. Nagaprasanna briefly took up the case, with the next hearing scheduled for March 27. The government clarified that no action has been taken against X for not joining the Sahyog Portal but reserved the right to act if necessary.

X argues that the government’s use of Section 79(3)(b) to block content creates an unlawful parallel mechanism, undermining free expression online. The platform says that it is committed to legal compliance but seeks judicial clarity on how content regulations should be enforced. As the case unfolds, it could have significant implications for AI-generated content regulation in India.