The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre on a plea by RSS ideologue K N Govindacharya for the removal of fake news and hate speech that is being circulated on social media and online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar sought a response from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Finance, and Information Technology and the three online platforms, on the petition.
The court put the matter for further consideration on April 14.
Govindacharya, represented by advocate Virag Gupta, has also sought directions to the three platforms to disclose information about their designated officers in India as required under the Information Technology Rules.
The counsel claimed that social media platforms "have become a haven for hate speech" and in the absence of details of designated officers, there was "no clear mechanism to enforce justice".
"Social media platform cannot become a tool for rioting, even as they claim freedom of speech and expression," the petitioner contended.