Delhi HC asks LG, Centre to reply to plea on online content takedown notices

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has sought the response of the Lieutenant Governor on a plea challenging a notification issued by him empowering police to issue takedown notices for social media content.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notice to the LG and the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and asked them to file replies within six weeks.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on September 17.
The bench was hearing a plea filed by Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) challenging the legality and constitutional validity of the notification issued by the LG that designated Delhi Police as the nodal agency under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, empowering it to issue takedown notices for online content.
The notification empowers Delhi Police officers to issue takedown orders to social media companies and other intermediaries to remove illegal content under the Information Technology Act.

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