Bombay High Court: R.K. Deshpande, J. addressed a Public Interest Litigation challenging the order passed by Deputy Commissioner of Police under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 with regard to prohibition of dissemination of information through social media platforms to protect people from false news.
The complaint pertains to prohibition of persons disseminating the information through messages, social media platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram, etc. Object of issuing the order seems to genuinely protect the persons from false and incorrect information being provided in respect of COVID 19 disease, which is spread all over.
The said mater was presented by Sandeep Parikh, Advocate for the petitioner and P.H. Kantharia, Government Pleader, Kedar Dighe, AGP, for respondent-State.
Bench did not find the said matter to be urgent in nature and thus asked the same to be put up in regular course. [Pankaj Rajmachikar v. State of Maharashtra, PIL (Lodging) No. 24 of 2020, decided on 15-04-2020]
