India’s top court tackles social media in free speech case

NEW DELHI: India’s top court on Friday asked for the government and Twitter’s response to a petition seeking greater regulation of content on social media platforms amid a debate over free speech.

The case comes during a growing standoff between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government and Twitter, after the company refused to fully comply with orders to remove certain accounts that were critical of the government’s handling of monthslong farmer protests.

Twitter said on Wednesday it won’t suspend accounts of news organizations, journalists, activists and politicians, citing its “principles of defending protected speech and freedom of expression.”