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| Linking social media accounts with Aadhaar, PAN, Voter ID: SC turns down SLP | | | Early Times Report
New Delhi/Jammu, May 26: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging a Delhi High Court order in which it had declined to direct linking of social media accounts with Aadhaar, PAN or voter ID card for weeding out fake accounts.
A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao, however granted liberty to lawyer and BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay to implead himself as a party in the transfer petition moved by the Centre in the Apex Court.
The lawyer, who argued the case through video-conferencing, said that the Centre had earlier sought transfer of similar cases from some High Courts to the Apex Court. “We see no reason to interfere with the impugned order of the High Court. The Special Leave Petition is, accordingly, dismissed. However, liberty is granted to the petitioner (Upadhyay) to file impleadment application in Transfer Case …,” said the bench which also comprised Justices Krishna Murari and S Ravindra Bhat. The Delhi High Court had earlier declined to order linking of social media accounts with Aadhaar, PAN or voter ID card for weeding out fake accounts, saying it would lead to data of genuine account holders, who are much more in number, going "unnecessarily" to foreign countries.
It had said that linking of accounts with social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, with Aadhaar, PAN or any other identity document requires framing of policies or amendment in existing laws by the central government and this exercise cannot be done by the court.
The Special Leave Petition (SPL) filed by the BJP leader from New Delhi Ashwani Kumar Upadhyay had stated that linking of social media accounts with Aadhar or PAN card will check those who have created fake accounts through which these account holders are spreading fake news.
Upadhyay mentioned in the SPL that presently total numbers of twitter handles in India are around 35 million and total number of Facebook accounts are 350 million and experts says that around 10% twitter handles (3.5 million) and 10% Facebook accounts (35 million) are duplicate/ bogus/ fake. There are hundreds of fake twitter handles and bogus Facebook accounts in the name of eminent peoples and high dignitaries.
“These fake twitter handles and Facebook accounts use real photo of constitutional authorities and eminent citizens. Therefore, common man relies upon the messages published from these twitter handles and Facebook accounts”, he mentioned, adding, “Fake accounts are used to promote casteism, communalism, regionalism, linguism, radicalism and separatism, which endangers fraternity unity and national integration”. Political parties and candidates use fake social media accounts for self-promotion and image building and to tarnish the image of opponent political parties and contesting candidates, especially during the elections”, said by petitioner in SLP.
He also pointed out that right to know is integral part of Article 19 and exposure to accurate information is a necessity for electors to make an informed choice, but, fake news has tendency to influence this choice in negative manner.
Upadhyay, in the plea, has said that 20 per cent of the social media accounts were "fake, ghost or duplicate".
The plea said something has to be done as anyone can create a fake account on social media of any person, including the judges, and through that medium wrong or controversial information can be spread.
He had also alleged in his petition that fake social media accounts are used to propagate "fake and paid news" during elections. |
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