NEED TO RESTRICT SOCIAL MEDIA, CENTRE TELLS SC

NEW DELHI: Absence of any regulatory mechanism in the cyber world demanded higher level of restrictions to put checks and balances on social networking sites, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta told a bench of justices J Chelameswar and Rohinton Fali Nariman that though it was not possible to regulate Internet, the legislature should be given leeway for framing rules in the absence of institutional control over the medium where an individual is a boss himself.

The statement came three weeks after the government told the SC that it was ready to review the controversial Section 66A of the Information Technology Act that activists alleged was often used by authorities to muzzle free speech on social media.

The government said a committee had been formed to draft a new law or framework, admitting a re-look at the provision was necessary.

However, it had defended the provision in its present form, saying it didn’t impinge on freedom of speech. Some time ago, while driving on a highway, I noticed an old couple standing on the roadside and seeking a lift. It was pouring heavily. They were waving their arms in desperate optimism as car after car drove by. As I slowed down to almost a stop, the couple rushed towards me with a great sense of emergency.

I could tell from the looks on their faces that something dreadful had happened. When I asked them what the problem was, they told me their daughter had just met with an accident and they needed to get to the hospital where she was admitted.

And, when I told them that I could drive them to the hospital, they showered blessings on me. I was looking at them through the rear mirror as they settled in the car; they looked relieved and grateful.

Another incident took place just a few weeks after this case. I was based in Daghai, near Shimla, making a living as a teacher. The long-awaited winter break