IT rules on fake news: Bombay High Court's Division Bench delivers split verdict
The Hindu
Bombay High Court delivers split verdict on petitions challenging amended IT Rules dealing with fake news on social media.
A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court on January 31 delivered a split verdict on a bunch of petitions challenging the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules dealing with fake news against the government on social media.
While Justice Gautam Patel agreed with the petitioners’ contentions, Justice Neela Gokhale upheld the government’s side.
“There is a disagreement between us. I have held for the petitions and Justice Gokhale has held for the government. So now the matter will be heard afresh by a third judge,” Justice Patel said in the courtroom.
The matter would be placed before the Chief Justice of the HC who would assign it to a third judge.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta agreed to extend for ten days an earlier assurance given to the court that until the judgment was delivered, the government would not notify the Fact Checking Unit (FCU) to be set up under the amended IT Rules to identify and flag off fake, false, and misleading facts on social media.
The Bench accepted this statement.
Under the Rules, if the FCU comes across or is informed about any posts that are fake, false or contain misleading facts pertaining to the business of the government, it would flag off the same to the social media intermediaries.