The Bombay HC held it unconstitutional and struck down the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules, which sought to identify fake and false content on social media against the government.

The terms "fake, false, and misleading" used in the Rules were described as "vague and therefore problematic" due to the lack of clear definitions, the judge added.

The Bombay High Court has declared the amended IT Rules, which aimed to identify fake content against the government on social media, unconstitutional. Justice A S Chandurkar ruled that the rules violated constitutional rights and were vague.

The tiebreaker judge noted that the provisions empowered the government to decide what constitutes “false” or “fake” news without clear definitions

The Bombay High Court declared the IT Rules on the Fact Check Unit illegal, citing violations of fundamental rights and disproportionate censorship. This ruling follows a split verdict in January and supports free expression online against government-backed content regulation.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday held it unconstitutional and struck down the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules which sought to identify fake and false content on social

The Bombay high court on Friday struck down the 2023 amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules, which allowed the central government to establish Fact Check Units (FCUs) to identify and act against "fake and misleading" information about its activities on social media platforms.