Three Social Media Platforms Booked for Spreading ''false'' Info on CAA

Hyderabad, Feb 27 (PTI) A case has been registered against three social media platforms based on a private complaint filed before a court here, accusing them of circulating 'false' information against the Citizenship Amendment Act and causing damage to communal harmony.

The cyber crime police here registered the case following an order issued by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court based on a private complaint filed by a local journalist recently.

The complainant stated that after the enactment of CAA in 2019, some anti-social elements under the guise of freedom of expression launched a social media campaign against the amended law.

It also alleged that the social media platforms were circulating objectionable and offensive information to provoke common people, for their unlawful gains.

The complainant accused the social media applications of "intentionally" circulating objectionable videos and causing damage to the "national integration and communal harmony."

The messages and videos were uploaded on three mobile applicationsa microblogging site, a mobile messaging giant and a video-sharing app, it added.

The court referred the private complaint to police following which a case was registered under IPC sections including 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 121 A (conspiracy to wage war against India) and other relevant sections.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime Police Station, KVM Prasad told PTI that a case was registered after a private complaint was referred from the court. Legal opinion will be sought to proceed further, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)