Maharashtra
IT Rules: Amended Rules Allowing Fact Check Unit Unconstitutional, Says Bombay High Court
Mumbai, September 20: In a setback to the Centre, the Bombay High Court on Friday struck down the amendment to the Information Technology Act which gave power to the Centre to set up a Fact Check Unit (FCU) to identify fake, false or misleading content against the government on social media and online platforms, terming it as “unconstitutional”.
Rule 3(1)(b)(v) of the IT Rules amendment 2023 empowers the government to establish a Fact check Unit and unilaterally declare online content related to the government’s business on social media platforms as fake, false or misleading. The social media intermediary then either has to pull down the information or be ready to defend its actions in court, if the case so arises.
The matter was assigned to Justice AS Chandurkar as ‘tie-breaker judge’, after a division bench, in January, delivered a split verdict on the petitions challenging the amended IT rules.
Justice Chandurkar held that the rules violated constitutional provisions. “I have considered the matter extensively. The impugned rules are violative of Article 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 19(1)(g) (freedom and right to profession) of the Constitution of India,” he said. The expression “fake, false and misleading” in the Rules was “vague and hence wrong” in the absence of any definition, he added.
The matter will now be placed before the division bench to be decided. The judgement goes against the Centre, with two judges ruling against it.
The HC was dealing with a batch of petitions, including by a stand-up artist Kunal Kamra, challenging the rules.
The pleas against the Rules were referred to Justice Chandurkar after a bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale, on January 31, gave a split verdict. Justice Patel struck down the amended rule establishing FCU while Justice Gokhale ruled against the petitioners.
The Centre amended the IT Act last year which empowered the Central government to flag “fake, false and misleading” news pertaining to the government on social media through FCU.
Senior counsel Navroz Seervai, for Kamra, had argued that expressions “fake, false or misleading” are vague and undefined thus being susceptible to gross abuse and misuse. Similarly, the expression “business of the Central Government” has been stated in wide terms which would encompass each and every activity of the Central Government resulting in the Rule travelling beyond the empowering Section which is Section 87 of the Act of 2000.
Maharashtra
Sameer Wankhede targeted in The Baddest of Bollywood; Delhi High Court orders removal of objectionable content from controversial series in defamation case

Mumbai: The Mumbai-Delhi High Court has strongly criticized Red Chillies Entertainment Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan and others in the defamation case against NCB Zonal Director IRS officer Sameer Wankhede and said that artistic freedom does not mean mocking a person. After this, the High Court has ordered that the controversial footage related to Sameer Wankhede be removed from the controversial Netflix series The Bads of Bollywood. Sameer Wankhede had filed a petition in the High Court and pleaded that his character has been killed in The Bads of Bollywood and this series has been made to target him. The purpose is to humiliate and mock Sameer Wankhede. After watching some parts of this series, the High Court has ordered the removal of the controversial parts from the film.
Sameer Wankhede’s lawyer had told the court that the character portrayed in the film is a comparison to Sameer Wankhede and that this series has been created with the intention of tarnishing Wankhede’s image. The Bads of Bollywood is malicious, therefore, the above-mentioned controversial scenes and objectionable dialogues should be deleted from the series, on which the court has issued an order to delete the controversial and objectionable content and content. Earlier, while hearing Sameer Wankhede’s petition, the court had sent notices to Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies, Netflix, Meta, and social media platforms and directed them to file a response. To this, Red Chillies had called the film and series a drama and made it clear that it had nothing to do with the facts. However, despite this, the Delhi High Court inquired whether a film drama does not mean that someone’s character is killed and said this, it reprimanded Shah Rukh Khan and the film company. Sameer Wankhede tried to prove through his argument that the character portrayed in the film resembles Sameer Wankhede and that this character has been portrayed in a negative way to target him and in this, an attempt has been made to make fun of Sameer Wankhede through this character, which has humiliated Wankhede, which the court has accepted and issued a directive to delete the objectionable and controversial content. This is a big success for Sameer Wankhede, while Shah Rukh Khan has suffered a huge setback.
Maharashtra
Mumbai arms supplier arrested from Ghatkopar depot

Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested an arms supplier from Ghatkopar Bus Depot who had come here to supply arms to Mumbai. The Mumbai Police Ghatkopar Anti-Gang Squad received information about this. The police laid a trap and took the accused into custody and recovered two country-made pistols and four live cartridges from his possession. During the investigation, the police asked him his name and he revealed his name as Ajay Kailash, a resident of Ujjain. The police have registered a case in this matter and started the investigation. Pantnagar Police has started the investigation in this matter to find out from where the accused had brought the arms to supply arms. This action was taken by DCP Rakesh Ola on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.
Crime
Thane: Man Stabbed To Death In Dombivali Hotel After Minor Altercation

Thane: A man was stabbed to death in Dombivali in Thane district during an altercation after he accidentally brushed against another person, a police official said on Monday.
The incident took place in a hotel in the early hours of Sunday in MIDC Phase 1 area, the Manpada police station official said.
“Akash Bhanu Singh (38) and his friends were having dinner at the hotel when he accidentally brushed against the accused, who picked up a fight. He along with some others stabbed Singh to death. Two of Singh’s friends, who tried to save him, also sustained injuries and have been hospitalised,” the official said.
Four persons were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for murder and other offences, though no arrest has been made, he said.
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