Too Big to Obey? The Arrogance of Global Tech in Indian Courts | X's Tom, Dick, and Harry Moment in Court

1. On 1st July 2025, during a hearing before the Karnataka High Court in the case of X Corp. vs. Union of India, senior advocate K.G. Raghavan, appearing for social media giant X (formerly Twit

ter), submitted: “What if every Tom, Dick and Harry officer starts sending me notices? See how this is being misused.” His remark made in open court referring government officials to “Tom dick and harry” was jarring, unwanted and insulting. Coming from a designated senior and a seasoned advocate absolutely stunned the court and also the and in the presence of the solicitor general of India who was appearing in the same matter for the Union. The bench and the Solicitor General immediately took objection to the foul language being used by the senior counsel. While the bench issued a clear warning and condemnation to maintain decorum and show respect for public officials, the Solicitor General firmly stated, “They are officers... they are statutory functionaries with legal authority. International entities should not display such arrogance.”

2.  The case in question was instituted by X corporation (formerly twitter) to challenge the frequent content removing orders issued by the government of India through its many ministries. The company has alleged the government for political and bias reasons has been targeting X and wrongly using the Information Technology Act, 2000 especially Section 69A and Section 79(3)(b). The former provision lays down procedure for the union government to issue orders for blocking of certain content from public view if it threatens national security, public order, or India’s independence, while the latter talks about the safe harbour given to companies. It outlines that if companies upon notice fail to remove content from their platform then they may lose the safe harbour of not being liable for such content being published in public view. X has further alleged that the latter is being used by the government to bypass the formalities needed to issue order under section 69A. It is also suggested by X that this has allowed many government agencies, ministries, office and even police to issue notices instead of MEiTY

3. Twitter and many other global tech giants such as META, GOOGLE, APPLE have been in constant sparring with the government of India over their wilful ignorance of Indian laws on content regulation, compliance with the IT Rules, and other privacy laws. This oblivious nature of these tech giants reeks of their arrogance and colonial mindset towards developing economies like India. One of the many reasons which underlines their arrogance across the developing countries is their political backing filled with a mindset that finds it difficult to acknowledge or respect the authority of developing nations like India who once were their puppets. Furthermore, once these companies achieve a certain scale and financials, they begin to believe that they are untouchable or too big to be questioned.

4. Majority of the global tech giants have their biggest markets and profit centres in developing countries such as ours. Yet these companies have little or no regard for compliance with the very nations who sustain their bottom lines. While these companies are quick to comply with regulatory demands of the European Union (EU) or the USA, even if it results in them paying millions of dollars in fines and penalties. However, when it comes to compliance with developing countries like India they conveniently change their approach to resistance, delay, and legal manoeuvring. These double standards of such companies are extremely disrespectful which shows that even their biggest markets do not deserve their active regard. The irony is clear— even as they profit the most here, they act the most entitled, demanding and show least respect for our regulation.

5. India has always had a robust constitutional and legal framework. No company regardless of its market capitalization, global influence, or country of origin has the right to treat Indian institutions with such disrespect. The incident in the Karnataka High Court is not an isolated moment of poor judgment. It is a shadow of a much larger attitude problem that global tech giants must urgently confront. Respect for local laws is a non-negotiable thing. Furthermore, As India continues to lead the transformation of the Global South, it must also demand that those who profit from its markets show due respect to its laws, its institutions, and its people. Arrogance, no matter how well-funded, has no place in a courts of law.