Bombay HC gives split verdict in case challenging FCUs under IT Rules

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday delivered a split verdict on a plea challenging the validity of the Fact Checking Unit (FCU) under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023.

The bench, comprising Justices GS Patel and Neela Gokhale, issued the verdict on petitions filed by stand-up comic Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, the Association of Indian Magazines, and the News Broadcast and Digital Association, challenging Rule 3 of the IT Rules. This rule empowers the Central government to form the FCU to identify fake or false news.