WEB DESK
Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva has responded the concerns raised by Special Procedures Branch of the Human Rights Council regarding India’s new IT Rules.
In a letter, the Permanent Mission clarified that the IT rules finalized after due discussion with various stakeholders. It informed that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting undertook broad consultations in 2018 with various stakeholders, to prepare the draft Rules. An inter-ministerial meeting had discussed in detail the comments received in detail and the Rules were finalized accordingly.
The Permanent Mission of India highlighted that India’s democratic credentials are well recognized. It said the right to freedom of speech and expression is guaranteed under the Indian Constitution and independent judiciary and robust media are part of India’s democratic structure.
Earlier Experts at United Nations Office of the Human Rights Commissioner have said in a report that it is concerned that Indias Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, in their current form, do not conform with international human rights norms.
The observations were made in Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy.