The Bombay High Court annulled provisions for establishing Fact Checking Units (FCUs) under the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023, citing violations of constitutional rights. The decision followed a split verdict in January and was delivered by 'tie-breaker judge' Justice AS Chandurkar.

The Bombay High Court struck down the 2023 amendments to the IT Rules that empowered the government to flag "fake or misleading" content about its business on social media, declaring them unconstitutional.

The Editors Guild of India on Friday welcomed the Bombay High Court verdict striking down as unconstitutional the Information Technology Amendment Rules of 2023 on the formation of fact-check units by the government.

The Editors Guild of India has welcomed the Bombay High Court's decision to strike down the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules of 2023. The rules had intended to empower the government to create a Fact-Check Unit to identify fake information on social media.

The Bombay High Court has ruled that the Central Government's Fact Check Unit rule is unconstitutional, citing its vagueness and potential chilling effect on free speech. The decision follows a split verdict in a previous hearing and may lead to a Supreme Court challenge.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has struck down an attempt by the central government to set up a fact-checking unit. The Bombay HC took the decision on Friday, 20 September 2024 after stand-up comic Kunal Kamra filed a petition against the Centre's move.

After a split verdict by two-judge bench in January, Justice Atul Chandurkar said Friday the 2023 amendments to IT rules was violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21.

The Bombay high court has invalidated the amended IT Rules targeting fake news about the government, labeling them unconstitutional. Justice AS Chandu

The 'tie-breaker' judge of the Bombay High Court on Friday struck down the 2023 amendments to the IT Rules, which empowers the Central government to establish Fact Check Units (FCUs) to identify

Earlier in the proceedings, the Bombay High Court had declined to stay the establishment of fact-checking units while it heard the case.

The terms "fake, false, and misleading" used in the Rules were described as "vague and therefore problematic" due to the lack of clear definitions, the judge added.