Congress welcomes Bombay HC order quashing amended IT rules on fake news

Bombay High Court/ File Photo

The Congress applauded the Bombay High Court's decision to overturn modified Information Technology guidelines aimed at detecting "fake and false" comments regarding the government on social media. The court ruled that the rules seeking to establish a Fact-Check Unit (FCU) were unlawful.

The High Court found that the new guidelines breached the right to equality and freedom of speech and were too vague, potentially leading to a "chilling effect" on individuals and social media sites. The court determined that these rules violated Articles 14, 19, and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, reported PTI.

According to the report, in a post on X, Congress lawmaker Jairam Ramesh slammed the government's efforts, calling the formation of the FCU a "bizarre joke." He stated, "The non-biological PM is the Father of Falsification. It is a bizarre joke that the government he runs came up with this so-called 'fact check unit.' The Bombay High Court has rightly held it as being unconstitutional. But this is not going to stop Him from spreading His unique brand of lies."

Congress media chief Pawan Khera also backed the court's ruling, pointing out that the fact-checking unit was not taken seriously, even within the administration, the report added.

"Nobody took that fact-check unit seriously, including people in the government. So we welcome the order by the High Court of Bombay," Khera said.

Reportedly, the CPI (M) also praised the decision, calling it a triumph for press freedom and free expression.

"Welcome decision by the Bombay High Court to stop Modi government's vicious attempt to curb press freedom and free speech," the CPI (M) said in a post on X earlier on Friday.

The ruling, delivered by Justice AS Chandurkar, followed a split verdict earlier in January. Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, and other media organisations had challenged the regulations, arguing that the rules posed a threat to fundamental rights. The court agreed, quashing the establishment of the Fact-Check Unit.