Won’t notify ‘Fact Check Unit’ against fake news till September 4: Centre to Bombay High Court

The Centre on Friday informed the Bombay High Court that it won’t notify till September 4 the ‘Fact Check Unit’ (FCU) under the recently amended Information Technology (IT) Rules to flag fake content on social media against the government.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought a division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale to adjourn the earlier dates set by the court for the Centre to put forth its arguments justifying the rules.

The bench has been hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the amended IT Rules. Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India and the Association of Indian Magazines have filed petitions in the HC against the rules, terming them arbitrary and unconstitutional and claiming that they would have a chilling effect on the fundamental rights of citizens.