16 March,2019 08:23 AM IST | Mumbai | Agencies
Bombay High Court
The Election Commission (EC) told the Bombay High Court on Friday that it is willing to prohibit any political advertisements on social media 48 hours before polling day, provided the high court issues such orders.
The EC also told a bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice N M Jamdar that it was going to ensure implementation of all its previous notifications regulating political advertisements on social media, particularly around the time of elections.
The statement was made by the EC's counsel Pradeep Rajagopal. He was responding to a query posed by the court on a previous hearing, asking why the EC was hesitant to issue specific directions prohibiting political advertisements on social media 48 hours before an election day.
Rajagopal submitted that the EC was aware that specific rules were required to govern advertisements on social media ahead of elections and that it was going to
implement all safeguards to ensure that there were no obstructions to free and fair elections in the country.
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The court was hearing a PIL by lawyer Sagar Suryavanshi seeking directions to the Election Commission to regulate fake news in the form of paid political ads on social media.
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