Timeline of TikTok controversy: Major events that led to removal of TikTok app from Play Store, App Store

In February, Tamil Nadu Information Technology minister M Manikandan said that the state will seek the centre’s help to ban TikTok for causing degradation of Tamil Nadu’s culture and leading to issues related to law and order in the state.

Responding to the state government seeking a ban on the app, TikTok said in its statement that the company was in the process of recruiting a chief nodal officer in India for better coordination with the law enforcement authorities.

Earlier in April, Madurai-based senior advocate Muthu Kumar filed a petition against TikTok. Based on the petition, the Madras High Court asked the government to impose a ban on the TikTok for "encouraging pornography." The court also directed media from telecasting videos made using TikTok.

Initially, the Supreme Court India refused to entertain urgent plea hearing on Madras High Court’s ban order directing the centre to ban the TikTok app over concerns about access to inappropriate, pornographic content through it.

The Supreme Court later agreed to hear a plea challenging Madras High Court ban order against TikTok on April 15

TikTok owner ByteDance requested the Supreme Court not to impose a ban on TikTok. The company also said that the court order to ban the TikTok app in the country will hurt speech rights.

TikTok said it has removed more than 60 lakh videos in India for violating TikTok's community guidelines since July 2018.

The Supreme Court refused to stay the Madras High Court order that directed the Centre to ban the app. The Supreme Court said that ban directive was just an interim order and the High Court is scheduled to hear the matter on April 16.

Shortly after the Supreme Court refused to stay the Madras High Court order, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) reportedly instructed Google and Apple to take down the TikTok app from their respective app stores.

Madras High Court appointed Amicus Curiae (independent counsel) to the court. While addressing the High Court’s directive, TikTok said in its statement that it has faith in the Indian judicial system.

Google and Apple remove the TikTok app from their respective app stores, just a day after TikTok said the app has over 120 million active users in India.

The matter is scheduled for hearing in the Supreme Court on April 22.