Fact Check Unit won't notify against fake news until September 4: Centre to Bombay HC

The Centre on Friday informed the Bombay High Court that, in accordance with the recently amended Information Technology (IT) Rules, it will not notify the Fact Check Unit (FCU) to flag false content on social media against the government until September 4.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought a division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale to adjourn the earlier dates set by the court for the Centre to put forth its arguments justifying the Rules. The bench has been hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the amended IT Rules. Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India and the Association of Indian Magazines have filed petitions in the HC against the Rules, terming them arbitrary and unconstitutional and claiming that they would have a chilling effect on the fundamental rights of citizens.

On Friday, Mehta sought the court to post the matter at the end of August. My difficulty is that the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court will commence hearing arguments in matters pertaining to Article 370 (which gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir) from August 2. I need to make some preparations for that, Mehta said.

Mehta said the statement made by the Union government that the FCU would not be notified shall stand extended till September 4. In April this year, after the petitions were filed, the Centre had told the court that it would not notify the FCU till July. This month, the statement came to be extended from time to time when the court started hearing arguments in the pleas.