New Delhi, March 21: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a notification issued by the Centre establishing Fact Checking Unit (FCU) under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to prevent fake, false or misleading information relating to the business of the government. A Bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud clarified that the stay would operate till the Bombay High Court decides the pleas challenging validity of the amendments introduced to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. PIB Fact Check Unit: Centre Notifies Press Information Bureau FCU Under IT Rules 2021
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Wednesday notified the PIB FCU to address the challenge of fake news by actively monitoring, detecting, and countering disinformation campaigns, including on social media. The government said that FCU will counter misinformation on its policies, initiatives and schemes either suo motu or under a reference via complaints through various modes, including through WhatsApp, email and X (formerly, Twitter). Supreme Court Stays Centre's Notification on Fact Check Unit Till Final Decision By Bombay HC
In an order passed on March 11, Justice AS Chandurkar of the Bombay High Court -- the tie breaker judge -- refused to extend the benefit of the statement made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the FCU would not be notified till the judgment is delivered in the case. On January 31, a division bench of the High Court gave a split verdict on pleas challenging the amended IT Rules.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2024 04:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).