States responsible for implementation of 2015 judgement scrapping Section 66A of IT Act: Centre to SC

As ‘police’ and ‘public order’ are state subjects under the Constitution, the primary responsibility for implementing the 2015 judgement which scrapped Section 66A of the IT Act lay with them and their law enforcement agencies, the Centre has told the Supreme Court.

The Centre has stated this in an affidavit to the apex court in response to a plea of an NGO, ‘People’s Union for Civil Liberties’ (PUCL), alleging that the steps taken by the Central government for ensuring effective implementation of the verdict “far from adequate”.

Under the scrapped Section a person posting offensive messages could be imprisoned for up to three years as also fined.