In what will be seen as a massive relief for TikTok, a social media app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, the Madras High Court today lifted the ban on its downloads which it had originally put in its April 3 judgement.

Today's order comes after the Madras High Court (HC) was ordered by the Supreme Court, on 22 April, to pass an interim order on the ban of TikTok in the country. The Chinese parent company had appealed to the apex court against the high court's order.

Amicus Curiae Arvind Datar , said that we cannot have a system where something which is statutorily permissible becomes judicially impermissible. Banning is not the solution. Rights of legitimate users must be protected, emphasised Datar.

On Monday, the Supreme Court heard the case and directed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to hear a plea filed by ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns and operates TikTok. As per the SC directive, if the High Court fails to hear the case, the interim ban on the app in India will then be vacated.

On 3 April, the Madras HC had called for the ban on the download of TikTok, owing to the spread of pornographic content on the platform.

According to multiple media reports, TikTok had added that the “disproportionate” ban is an infringement of the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression, and that it has caused the company irreparable damage, media reports said. The company also claimed to have more than 54 million active users in India and said it was losing close to Rs 4.5 crore every day due to the ban.