A 52-second cartoon reportedly featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi was recently blocked from The Wire’s social media by the government. The Wire said it was told the video spread unverified information that could harm India’s defence, security, reputation, or foreign relations. The Editors Guild of India criticized this as rising intolerance and a blow to media freedom, especially satire and humor. New IT Amendment Rules coming into force on February 20, 2026, reduce the time for social media platforms to remove flagged content from 24-36 hours to just 3 hours. The Karnataka High Court upheld the government’s ‘Sahyog’ portal that automates notice sending for content removal, rejecting Twitter’s plea that it bypassed legal safeguards. The Supreme Court has long ruled in favor of free expression. In the 2015 Shreya Singhal case, it said content can only be blocked for specific reasons like national security or public order and with written reasons. Satire, the Court affirmed, is a literary genre that uses exaggeration to expose faults and provoke laughter, not a threat. It quoted that "art unites whereas tyranny separates." The Madras High Court called political cartoons "weapons of ridicule" meant to poke fun rather than praise politicians. Globally, courts give wide space to satire as essential for public debate. The Delhi High Court also praised creative freedom in comedy and art, seeing them as key to exposing social issues. Recent Supreme Court rulings uphold that satire or poems cannot be blamed for spreading hatred lightly. Meanwhile, petitions challenge government rules allowing content blocking without informing creators, fearing misuse and lack of transparency. The Court has issued notices on multiple challenges to content blocking rules and government actions. This debate highlights the tension between protecting national security and preserving India’s democratic tradition of free speech, humor, and satire in the digital age.