Leading Online Desk : After the election blocking case, the Supreme Court has given another blow to the central government. The Center had issued a notification for setting up a Fact Checking Unit, which has been stayed by the Supreme Court. In this regard, standup comedian Kunal Kamra has filed a petition in the Supreme Court. (Fact-Check Units)
According to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules (IT Amendment Rules 2023) Act, the Center has released a notification to establish this unit. According to this, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has been empowered to set up a Fact Checking Unit. Accordingly, a fact checking unit was established in the Press Information Bureau under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This unit will have the task of verifying government related content on social media. (Fact-Check Units)
India's top court put on hold a new government-appointed unit created to fact-check online content about the government as part of recent changes to the country's IT rules https://t.co/HqCqZBPfTp
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 21, 2024
Various petitions have been filed by Kunal Kamra, Editors Guild of India, Association of Indian Magazines. Earlier this petition was filed in Bombay High Court. But the Bombay High Court refused to stay the notification on March 11. The petitioners then filed a petition in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court will review whether the provisions of the Information Technology Act violate the right to freedom of expression in the Constitution. Editors Guild lawyer Shadan Farasat said, “For the government to decide whether a piece of information is true or false is basically an attack on Article 19(1)(a).”
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