MADRAS HC REJECTS TO ENTERTAIN PLEA SEEKING STEPS TO CENSOR SOCIAL PLATFORMS

3rd March

The Madras High Court, recently (S Umamaheswaran v Union of India and ors) declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation seeking direction to the Central Government to take necessary steps to monitor, control, a guide to forming a panel of censor members of the social platforms.

The bench stated that “ It is open to the petitioner to live in the stone age or to protect his family or his children from the advances of technology. Courts are not there to impose sanctions or guidelines on how the media or even social media operates, and it is for the other agencies to do so, based on the policy decision taken by the legislature of the day or the executive arm.”

The division bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice R Hemlatha dismissed the petition. It stated that the petitioner might approach the appropriate legislative or executive as per the law.

Author: Papiha Ghoshal