The Supreme Court has agreed to examine the Centre’s plea challenging the Bombay High Court verdict that struck down the 2023 amendments to the Information Technology Rules dealing with fake and misleading content on social media. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued notices to the original petitioners, including stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India and the Association of Indian Magazines. However, the apex court declined to stay the 2024 Bombay High Court judgment which had declared the amended rules unconstitutional. The Chief Justice observed that it would be better if the entire issue was finally decided.

The Centre, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued that the government did not intend to block content completely but sought to regulate misinformation. The amendments, introduced in April 2023 under the (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, proposed setting up a Fact Check Unit to identify fake or misleading content related to government activities. The Supreme Court will hear the matter in due course of time.