New IT rules take care of inflammatory posts: SC says on plea to probe Tablighi-related Islamophobic content

The court further quizzed the petitioner on whether he made any representation to the Union government

The Supreme Court on Monday said new Information Technology rules took care of inflammatory posts as it gave an advocate — seeking action on alleged Islamophobic content — a week's time to study the new guidelines.

Petitioner, Khaja Aijazuddin, sought a direction to CBI or NIA probe against Twitter, and its users involved in putting out "inflammatory posts”. He sought guidelines for media companies against posting content to hurt religious sentiments.

The petitioner-in-person was aggrieved by the reportage by media on the Tablighi Jamaat incident in New Delhi as an alleged cause for the spread of coronavirus.

"This issue was forgotten…..why you want to rake up these issues again? There are number of other petitions pending in this court,” a bench presided over by Chief Justice N V Ramana asked him.

To this, he said his plea has raised important issues in connection with posting of the inflammatory posts and hashtags against a particular religious community on social media platforms.

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“Have you examined the recent IT rules. It takes care of it," the bench asked him.

The court further quizzed him on whether he made any representation to the Union government. It asked him to study the new IT rules, 2021 and posted the matter for one week later.

The petitioner sought a direction from the top court to direct the appropriate agency, i.e. CBI or NIA, to conduct an investigation against Twitter and its users who were involved in inflammatory posts.

The plea also sought directions to the Centre to frame guidelines as envisaged under the provisions of IT Act, 2000, pertaining to hate messages against any religious community including Islamophobic posts on various social media platforms.

The top court had earlier admitted for consideration a separate PIL by Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind which claimed that multiple fake news on the Nizamuddin Markaz issue damaged the secular fabric of the nation.