The government has modified rules under the controversial Section 66(A) of the Information Technology Act in the wake of its alleged misuse in recent few cases. This comes a day after a 19-year-old boy was questioned by the police in Palghar over an alleged Facebook post against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. This also comes amidst the row over the arrest of two girls in Palghar over a Facebook post on late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.
The government has issued an advisory to states on how to implement the controversial Section 66(A) of the IT Act. Government sources say that a prior approval from the Deputy Commissioner or IGP level officers is needed before the Station House Officer can register such complaints.
Government sources also say that the Maharashtra incident was not justified. Sources say the government acted on civil society fears that Section 66(A) was unconstitutional and open to misinterpretation.