Regulating Social Media? Govt free to consider ‘suggestions’ of petitioner under law: Court
Srinagar, June 4, KNT: The High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh have asked the petitioner seeking a check on the alleged ‘fake news’ menace on social media to submit his suggestions before the Principal Secretary to the Government, Information Department. The court has said that Principal Secretary to the Government, Information Department is free to consider those suggestions and act accordingly.
Petitioner MM Shujah as per news agency Kashmir News Trust through his Counsel Mr Shafqat Nazir had sought constitution of a committee that could regulate the functioning the social media.
In response to the petition, the double bench of Jammu Kashmir High Court and Ladakh, Justice Dhiraj Thakur and Chief Justice Pankaj Mital before disposing off the petition stated that the petitioner in the public interest prefers Government to designate a regulatory authority for grant of permission to the social media news channels / networks / pages / portals and not to allow any social media news network / agency / page / portal to function without proper license / permission.
The Court stated that the petitioner can submit representation and suggestions to the Principal Secretary to the Government, Information Department along with his detailed representation as to the grievance in the manner in which he wants social media news channels to be permitted and regulated.
“In the event of submitting the representation the Government and the Principal Secretary, Information Department would be free to consider the same and take appropriate action, most expeditiously as may be permissible in law,” the court said. (KNT)
