“Dissent in democracy is vital,” the High Court observed in its 33-page interim order. On Rule 16, the Bench said: “It is Pari Materia (on the same subject) to the Rule 9 of 2009 IT Rules which are yet in operation. A third requirement was for instant messaging applications to make provisions for tracking the first originator of a message. Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh urged the High Court not to pass any interim orders, stating that apprehensions of the petitioners were premature. The Centre also stated that granting interim relief would lead to “spread of fake news and legally prohibited content”.

Source: Indian Express August 14, 2021 12:58 UTC