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Fearless Social Media Posts Comments Won't Invite Arrests
Highlights
It will be a great relief to netizens to freely comment, even political criticism , on social media now , Amid a spurt in arrests for \"objectionable\" social media posts, the Narendra Modi government has said that comments on Twitter and Facebook will not be seen as an offence
It will be a great relief to netizens to freely comment, even political criticism , on social media now , Amid a spurt in arrests for "objectionable" social media posts, the Narendra Modi government has said that comments on Twitter and Facebook will not be seen as an offence.
Terming recent arrests, charge sheets and FIRs on netizens for freely expressing their opinion on social media, as an "aberrations amounting to abuse" of Section 66A of the Information and Technology Act, the Government of India has informed the Supreme court that henceforth all postings on Facebook or Twitter relating to freedom of expression will not attract the provisions of the above act unless very serious and personal attacks on any individuals .
The court is hearing a bunch of PILs which challenged constitutional validity of the section under the IT Act which allowed arrests for "annoying, inconvenient and dangerous messages" on social media, including ones involving freedom of expression.The GoI has set up a panel to suggest ways of safeguarding freedom of speech and preventing misuse of the law by authorities
It is to be noted that the court had earlier warned the Centre that it would make inoperative certain controversial provisions of the IT Act often invoked by authorities to muzzle free speech on the social media, if it failed to clarify its stand during the hearing.
"Of course we have kept the rules under the IT Act a bit flexible in view of the kind of offences being committed online like spread of hate and various other cyber crimes. Everyday new technology is coming. There are criminals using the sites intending various offences. However, the Union government does not wish to curb freedom of expression. Exercising one's freedom of speech won't be an offence, but this law applies to cyber crimes," Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told apex court bench headed by Justice J. Chelameswar.
One of the petitions referred to an April 2012 incident, when a chemistry professor from Jadavpur University in West Bengal, Ambikesh Mahapatra, was arrested for posting a cartoon on Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on social networking sites. Similarly, a businessman Ravi Srinivasan was arrested in October 2012 by the Puducherry police for allegations on Twitter against Karti Chidambaram of the Congress, son of former finance minister P. Chidambaram. Same way arrests of two Air India employees in Mumbai for posting content on Facebook against some politicians on May 2012.
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