Drop cases filed under scrapped IT law: MHA

The Union home ministry on Wednesday asked state governments and police chiefs to immediately withdraw cases registered under the defunct Section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, days after the Supreme Court described as “shocking” the existence of cases filed after the law was struck down.

In 2015, the top court quashed the portion of the IT Act after holding it unconstitutional, stressing on the right to freedom of speech and expression of Indian citizens. The law was wielded in several instances to arrest people for posts on social media solely at the discretion of police.