Despite repeated directions by the Supreme Court, that all pending cases under S. 66A of the Information Technology Act be closed and also that no fresh charges may be registered, the provision continues to be invoked across the country.
5 years ago a division bench of the Supreme Court composed of Justices Chalameshwar and Nariman laid down an important foundation for internet freedom that is today under threat.
The Delhi Government constituted a Committee for Peace and Harmony to investigate hateful content and fake news over social media. As it stands it will enable over censorship and chilling effect. IFF has written a letter to the Committee’s chairperson along with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
RTI data reveals that although Courts have actively complied with SC's directions, the Chief Secretaries and DGP's were sent advisories only during the case, no advisories have been sent after.
With the formation of the new Government and our best foot forward, we call upon the Central Government to take steps to address the arbitrary arrests of social media users and pursue the reform of speech law in India.
We've been experiencing phantom sensations of 66A over the last week or so. Two very important aspects were involved, a meme and the Supreme Court.