New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- The Supreme Court has stayed proceedings before the Karnataka and Bombay High Courts in a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's Sahyog Portal and the legal framework governing online content takedown under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The petitions challenge the legality of the Sahyog Portal and question the Central government's power to direct intermediaries to remove or disable online content under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, read with Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Sur...