Govt Stands Firm on Self-Fact-Check Role Amidst Court Controversy

IT and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reaffirmed the government’s stance that it is best positioned to fact-check information about itself. This defense came in response to Trinamool Congress’s Dola Sen’s query in the Rajya Sabha about the controversial Press Information Bureau (PIB) fact check unit. Vaishnaw emphasized that only the central government can accurately determine the veracity of information related to its activities, defending the 2023 amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. This amendment empowers the government to notify a fact-check unit to identify misleading messages about its business.

The creation of the PIB fact check unit, announced in 2019, faced a legal challenge that led to a split verdict in the Bombay High Court. The Supreme Court subsequently stayed the notification of the unit for fact-checking all online content related to the central government, pending further legal proceedings.

Minister of State for I&B L. Murugan mentioned that last week, the PIB fact-check unit debunked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim that her microphone was switched off during a NITI Ayog meeting. He clarified that there are no plans to establish regional fact-check units, maintaining the central unit’s operations in Delhi. The case is currently under review, with the Bombay High Court examining its implications on the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression.