PTI challenges new IT rules in Delhi High Court

The Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s largest news agency, moved the Delhi High Court on Wednesday challenging the constitutional validity of the revised Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. It argued that the rules “usher in an era of surveillance and fear, thereby resulting in self-censorship”.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice J R Midha issued notices to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on the petition.

The court will hear the plea, along with similar petitions by other online news outlets, on August 20.

It, however, denied interim relief to PTI in the case.

In its petition, PTI argued that the Digital Media Ethics Code regulation gives oversight to the executive (central government) to impose draconian measures including blocking, deletion of content and compulsory publication of apology for perceived non-compliance of vague conditions such as “good taste”, “decency” and prohibition of “half-truths.”

This is the ninth lawsuit by a news organisation challenging the Digital Media Ethics Code. The Digital News Publishers’ Association, comprising 13 media outlets including the ABP Network, Express Network, NDTV Convergence, , Malayala Manorama and Times Internet, had moved the Madras High Court on June 23.

Times Internet is the digital arm of the Times Group, which also publishes The Economic Times.

PTI also argued that the IT Act, 2000 does not mention ‘digital media’ and questioned whether rules enacted in pursuance of the Act can cover ‘digital media’ or would doing so go beyond the ambit of the Act.