No recourse for user facing action by social media platform: Bombay HC

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said it was troubled by the fact that the recently amended IT Rules to curb online fake news against the government offer no recourse to a person whose social media post has been removed or account suspended after being flagged by the proposed Fact Checking Unit (FCU). A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale questioned where such a person would go when their post is unilaterally closed with no recourse available. It may or may not have a chilling effect but still needs to be considered, Justice Patel said. The bench was hearing arguments on a bunch of petitions challenging the amended Information Technology (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. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta