In a transfer that has been described as “draconian and unwarranted” by the Opposition, Bihar Police have issued a round warning that these making “objectionable and indecent” feedback on-line in opposition to the state authorities, Ministers, MLAs, MPs and officers might be booked beneath the IT Act and the Indian Penal Code.
“We have been, of late, getting information about the use of objectionable and indecent language being used against the government, Ministers, MPs, MLAs and government officials through social media/ Internet. This is against provisions of the law and comes under the domain of cyber crime… For this act, it is apt to take action against such offenders,” states the round issued by Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit (EOU).
The round, which is dated January 21 and signed by Additional DGP (EOU and Cyber Crime) N H Khan, has been despatched to principal secretaries and secretaries of all state authorities departments. It states that the EOU is the nodal company for cyber crime, and that each one principal secretaries and secretaries ought to deliver “such matters” to its discover in order that “action can be initiated”.
Reacting sharply to the round, RJD chief and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav tweeted that “in the birthplace of the Republic”, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar “has been ripping apart democratic values”.
Yadav stated the Opposition is not going to enable the JD(U)-BJP authorities to “take away democratic rights of the people”.
JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar stated the federal government’s transfer is in accordance with the legislation and can “apply to everyone”. “There is nothing offensive about it,” he stated.
ADGP Khan later stated police is not going to take any suo motu motion. “We will take action only if there is a complaint against anyone. Under existing legal provisions, anyone making objectionable remarks can be booked under IPC sections 409, 420 and 467, and under IT Act provisions,” he stated.
Government sources informed The Indian Express that the set off for the round might be traced to “objectionable comments” posted on some digital platforms in opposition to a District Magistrate and a principal secretary in reference to the investigation within the homicide in Patna this month of Indigo government Rupesh Singh.
The Bihar transfer comes two months after the Kerala authorities stated it’s going to “not go ahead with implementing” a controversial modification to the Kerala Police Act to mandate a jail time period for any “offensive” social media publish following a hailstorm of criticism from throughout the political spectrum, together with the ruling CPM and its LDF alliance.
Last month, listening to a plea filed by a 38-year-old girl who was booked by Maharashtra Police for allegedly making offensive remarks on social media in opposition to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya in July, the Bombay High Court stated {that a} “public office in a democracy” has to face criticism.
Maharashtra Police had registered a number of FIRs in opposition to people who posted allegedly defamatory content material on social media in opposition to Thackeray and his son. All these FIRs had been filed after the demise of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June, when police claimed “coordinated attacks” had been launched in opposition to the Chief Minister and the state authorities.
