<p>New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India on Friday welcomed the Bombay High Court verdict striking down as <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/bombay-hc-strikes-down-amended-it-rules-as-unconstitutional-3199636">unconstitutional the Information Technology Amendment Rules of 2023</a> on the formation of fact-check units by the government.</p>.<p>The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules sought to empower the Central government to form a Fact-Check Unit to identify "fake and misleading" information on social media platforms about its business.</p>.<p>The Guild had moved the Bombay High Court in June last year, challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the IT Amendment Rules of 2023.</p>.<p>It had raised its concerns in its statement in April last year, stating that amendments to the IT Rules will have deep adverse implications for press freedom in the country.</p>.<p>The Bombay High Court, while observing that the amended rules infringed the right to equality and freedom of speech, also said the rules being vague and broad could cause a "chilling effect" not only on an individual but also on social media intermediaries.</p>.<p>The ruling was passed by Justice A S Chandurkar who served as a 'tie-breaker judge' after a division bench in January 2024 delivered a split verdict. </p>
<p>New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India on Friday welcomed the Bombay High Court verdict striking down as <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/bombay-hc-strikes-down-amended-it-rules-as-unconstitutional-3199636">unconstitutional the Information Technology Amendment Rules of 2023</a> on the formation of fact-check units by the government.</p>.<p>The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules sought to empower the Central government to form a Fact-Check Unit to identify "fake and misleading" information on social media platforms about its business.</p>.<p>The Guild had moved the Bombay High Court in June last year, challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the IT Amendment Rules of 2023.</p>.<p>It had raised its concerns in its statement in April last year, stating that amendments to the IT Rules will have deep adverse implications for press freedom in the country.</p>.<p>The Bombay High Court, while observing that the amended rules infringed the right to equality and freedom of speech, also said the rules being vague and broad could cause a "chilling effect" not only on an individual but also on social media intermediaries.</p>.<p>The ruling was passed by Justice A S Chandurkar who served as a 'tie-breaker judge' after a division bench in January 2024 delivered a split verdict. </p>